


The Stars and The Moon

by Leaving_A_Comment



Series: A Bird and the Trees [2]
Category: Over the Garden Wall (Cartoon)
Genre: Depression mention, F/F, F/M, Post-Series, Prescription Drug Use, Slight adult themes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-26
Updated: 2018-09-15
Packaged: 2019-03-09 12:51:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 35,096
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13481859
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Leaving_A_Comment/pseuds/Leaving_A_Comment
Summary: Wirt, Greg, and Ophelia have returned to the Unknown in search of Beatrice, but things do not go as planned, of course. A new adventure unfolds and family is reunited to brave this strange world once again to save themselves, but things are not as they seem. Spells are cast, monsters lurk around every corner and secrets are revealed as the conclusion to "Wind in the Leaves" unfolds and everyone faces a harsh truth.A Post-story sequel about growing up, growing older and still having to face the things that haunt us at night.





	1. Last-First Day

Greg was beginning to wish that he had thought this plan out a little more. Not that he regretted coming of course, but he did wish he had thought to bring Jason Funderburker along with him. Traveling through the woods was always better with a friend, and his frog was one of his best. But since he didn’t, he was currently wandering along through the woods alone with no real idea where to go and honestly no idea why he was here in the first place. After passing into the Unknown everything suddenly turned a little fuzzy and Greg was no longer sure how he got here. All he knew is that he had to find Beatrice.

A bitter wind blew through the woods and he pulled his brother’s cloak closer around him. He had thought to grab it at the last moment before sneaking out, but not to change into pants. It was a lot warmer at home then here and he was regretting the shorts he had on. Maybe it was because it was early morning, though he thought it had been nighttime when he left his house. He shook the cold out of his bones and trudged, walking ever deeper into the woods.

The path was well lit and the sun was rising despite of the chill so Greg enjoying his somewhat solitary trek. He didn’t feel lonely even though he was traveling by himself, mostly because he was sure Wirt and Ophelia would be joining him before long. He hadn’t told them his plan but he figured they would show up eventually, that’s usually how these things went on T.V.

Eventually he came to a fork in the woods and it was here that he drew to a stop. Both paths looked identical and there was no sign to indicate where he should go next. He turned around as the sound of a cart pulling up behind him drew his attention.

“Hiya sonny,” a gentle old man pulled his horse to a stop and leaned down with a smile towards Greg. “You lost?”

“Uuuummmmmm,” Greg looked back at the two forks then turned to the man again. “Can you be lost if you aren’t sure where you are going?” The old man laughed. “I’m looking for my friend Beatrice but I’m not sure where she lives.”

“Well I might be able to help,” the old man rested with his elbows on his knees. “I might even her, what is her family name?”

“Harper.” Greg answered, but the man shook his head.

“I’m not familiar with any Harpers. What do they do for a living?”

“I don’t know.” Greg looked down unhappily.

“It sounds like you don’t know this family very well.” The old man chuckled.

“I don’t know them, just my friend and her sister.” Greg answered, deflated. He thought for a moment, then perked up as a memory resurface, something from the first time he had traveled through the Unknown with Beatrice. “But I remember her mentioning that they lived in a mill!”

“There _are_ a few millers that sell their grain around here, you actually might be in luck. Today is market day and most of the folks around here tend to congregate together and trade goods.” The man scratched his chin thoughtfully.  “I’m heading that way; maybe someone there will know them. I can give you a ride if you would like.” He grinned as Greg looked him over slowly.

He knew not to get into cars with strangers but he wondered if that rule applied to horse drawn wagons. “You’re not gonna-“ Greg made a slicing motion over his neck. “Are you?”

The man lifted an eyebrow but shook his head. “No, I’m not gonna-“ He mimicked Greg’s motion. “Look kid, if you don’t want a ride I’ll get on my way; I have ducks to sell after all.”

“Did you say ducks?!” Greg asked excitably, dashing to the back of the cart and peering in. A large assortment of cages filled with ducks and other fouls occupied the wagon. “Why didn’t you start with that?! Everyone knows that duck handlers can’t be bad guys.”

“Really now, is that true?” The man asked, amused as Greg crawled into the seat beside him.

“Of course, that’s a rock fact!” Greg grinned, but an odd look passed over his face after a moment.

“You alright there friend?” the man asked, gently clicking his tongue to encourage the horse on. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“No but I feels like one just walked over my grave.” Greg shivered and pulled the cloak tighter around his shoulders.

 

          .::~::.              

 

Wirt was awoken by the gentle rocking of the train. He blinked sluggishly, taking a moment to look around at his surroundings and get his bearings. It seemed to be a relatively unremarkable train car - very basic amenities - which explained why his neck hurt so much. He had been sleeping at an odd angle. The other passengers seemed unfazed by the situation; maybe people fell asleep on this train all the time? Across from him, a young lady stirred from her own rest. She reached her arms far above her head and stretched as she gave the train car her own inspection.

“Are we there yet?” She half asked, half yawned.

Wirt turned to the window, watching as the countryside sped by. “I don’t think so, but soon.” He answered, uncertain about how he knew that.

The lady hummed thoughtfully and looked around more intently. “Has it been a quiet ride?” She asked, but Wirt just shrugged.

“Not sure, I’ve been asleep myself and just woken up.” He smiled politely but returned his gaze back to the window, trying to indicate he wasn’t interested in talking at that moment.

The young woman either didn’t pick up on his hints or didn’t care because she kept speaking. “It’s a miracle that I even managed to fall asleep here, I usually can’t stand train rides.” She remarked casually.

“Oh why is that?” Wirt tried to fake interest.

“Don’t trust them, never have.” She shook her head like she was still trying to wake herself up.

“That’s a little silly,” Wirt snorted as he settled back into his seat. The train rattled along and the other patrons went about their business, either busying themselves by reading books or the paper, or engaging in polite banter. Wirt wished he was doing the former. “What is there to fear about trains?”

“I couldn’t tell you, I just have this bad feeling in the pit of my stomach that something’s about to happen is all.” She started to glance around anxiously, like she was on the lookout for someone. “It’s almost like...” she rubbed the bridge of her nose, like she was gaining a bad migraine. “No never mind, it’s silly.”

“Like what?” Wirt leaned forward, elbows on his knees, now intrigued. “What is it?”

“Well like I’ve been here before. But that’s ridiculous, this train is a one way stop.” She smiled pleasantly enough but Wirt could see real fear behind her eyes.

“One way going where?” He asked, suddenly feeling the hair on his arms and the back of his neck rise up, like something was amiss.

“Well to-to...” She started to answer, but stopped. Confusion morphed to panic and she stood up suddenly. “I have to get off this train. He’s coming.”

“Who?” Wirt mimicked her action, causing more than a few train riders to turn towards them. “Who’s coming?”

“I have to go before he finds me.” She began frantically searching for an escape as she stepped out onto the aisle. With a bang, the door towards the front of the train car slammed open and her panic turned to terror.

Wirt turned around slowly as he saw the large, hulking figure blocking one of their only escapes. In the doorway stood a man- or at least he thought it might be a man- wearing a traditional conductor’s outfit, down to the hat and white gloves. But where there should have been a face was only an empty, blank void. The creature must have been at least seven feet talk, far out dwarfing either of them. Wirt gulped audibility and took a step back, so he was standing shoulder to shoulder with the young woman.

“You!” The creature and the girl yelled in unison, signaling to Wirt that they were old advisories.  

“You can’t be here.” It seethed, making the entire train car squirm.

“Trust me, I don’t want to be.” She shouted in return, shoving her hands deep into her skirt pockets.

“You won’t escape me this time,” it seemed to grow twice his size as he stalked towards them. “You’re coming with me.”

“That sounds like a blast but we have somewhere we need to be,” she grinned wildly, taking a step back each time it took one forward. “We’ll need to postpone this little reunion for later, but I would love to catch up, see how you are doing.”

The Conductor seemed less than amused and began approaching again, but she yanked out a plastic bag filled with a white powder and filled her fist full of it. She tossed it at the creature and it hissed in return as she grabbed Wirt’s hand and pulled him after her. They dashing through train cars, she never once looked behind her as she weaved between other riders and luggage.

“How did you know that would stop it?” Wirt gasped as he was pulled along against his will.

“Cause I fought it once before, remember Wirt?” She laughed manically, her auburn hair falling from the high ponytail she had put it in and whipping behind her like a wild river. “Though that only slowed it down at best; we have to keep moving.”

Wirt dared a glance behind them and saw that it was just a car behind them. He was suddenly running beside the strange girl instead of being pulled behind her. “How do you know who I am?” Wirt gulped, and she half turned towards him, eyebrow raised.

“Do you still not remember me? We’ll have to fix that after we escape.” She pushed her way onto the final train car, the luggage compartment. In one singular motion she slammed the door behind them and pushed a large travel trunk in front of it. “Help me but some of the heavier stuff here; we have to slow him down.” She urged, throwing suitcases and bags on the trunk.

“What is going on?!” Wirt yelled shaking his head. “Why is that _thing_ after you?!”

“To be fair it’s after both of us.” She noted as she pushed more bags in front of the door. “And it’s cause we don’t have tickets.”

“How you do you know I don’t have a pass?” Wirt crossed his arm defiantly, trying to seem larger than he felt.

“Because we’re traveling together, dork.” She rolled her eyes in a playful manner.

“We are?” Wirt tilted his head to the side and she laughed as she gently took his face in her hands and pulled it close to hers. Wirt’s face flushed so hard that even she could feel the warmth in her hands as she placed a gentle kiss on his forehead. “Ophelia, what are you doing?” he shouted, pushing her away as his blush deepened.

“A kiss always works in the fairy tales,” she laughed wildly. “And I guess I was right. Is it coming back to you?”

“Kinda?” Wirt shook his head, trying to clear the mist that had settled over it. “Some things are still a little fuzzy.”

“Same for me, all I know is that we’re together and that thing is after us so we need to figure out a way off this train, like yesterday.” She walked towards the back of the train car and threw open the door and began to step out. A shadow from the corner caught Wirt’s eye and he rushed to pull Ophelia backwards by the collar of her shirt just as the Conductor slipped down from the roof and filled the doorway.

“I told you, you aren’t getting away that easily,” it hissed as it slowly stalked forward. “You two are coming with me.”

“And I told you that isn’t happening.” Ophelia snapped, pulling the bag full of salt back out of her pocket. The Conductor hesitated, giving Wirt enough time to look around the room and come up with a plan. He settled on a handle and his eyes lit up as he pulled it open, forcing the large door to slide back on its ancient rollers with a loud screech. Wind rushed into the room, whipping their hair around madly, but the Conductor seemed unfazed. The ground fell away as the train passed over a bridge and Wirt and Ophelia exchanged a glance.

“Don’t!” The Conductor warned as they simply nodded towards each other.

“Keep your feet pointed down.” Wirt warned as they linked hands and jumped to the water down below.

“No!” The Conductor bellowed, snatching at their backs as they dove from the train. It hot, claw like fingers gripped for them but only brushed the hem of their shirts.

They plummeted towards the water, a scream of terror ripped from Wirt’s lips and a shout of triumph from Ophelia’s as they hit the surface, plunging deep into the cold water. The river engulfed them and Wirt cautiously opened his eyes as the bubbles cleared and Ophelia floated in front of him, grinning madly. He pointed upward and they breached the surface at the same time, taking in large gulps of air as they swam to the shore. Ophelia laughed as they crawled onto the river’s edge, flopping on her back as she occasionally coughed between her giggles.

“Okay so I know I said I would quit jumping off bridges after almost dying, but that rush!” she cackled as she sat up and shook the water droplets from her curls. “It almost makes it worth it.”

“Speak for yourself!” Wirt snapped, his voice cracking. “We could have died!”

“Well hey at least it would be a short trip, we’re already half way there.” Ophelia laughed again, a wild sound that made Wirt watch her cautiously.

“I think you might be enjoying this a little too much.” He warned as she quieted down.

“What can I say; I’m not as scared to be her as I was before. I’m not alone and I at least have a small idea about what we’re getting ourselves into this time.”

“Greg doesn’t,” Wirt spoke solemnly, making Ophelia suddenly grow still. “And we need to find him before something like the Conductor finds him first.”

“You’re right,” Ophelia stood up and began to wring out her hair. “So where do we start? Do we just wander around hoping to run into him?”

“Well, first I think we need to get somewhere and dry off or something cause your shirt is transparent.” Wirt turned away, hiding a small blush as Ophelia hastily covered her more scandalous regions.

“Shut up and give me your coat.” She mumbled, as Wirt happily obliged and handed over his tux jacket.

He shivered in just his soaked white button up and suspenders, but he was not going to complain since Ophelia was also drenched and she was wearing a skirt. Wirt looked around curiously as he waited for Ophelia to get more comfortable. He took in the early morning sunshine as bird began to wake up and fill the woods with their calls.

“You ready to go?” Ophelia grinned as she walked up beside him, his coat fastened securely on her thin frame.

“As ready as I can be.” Wirt spoke as they started their trek through the woods. “Ophelia, what is our plan exactly?”

“To find Greg and Beatrice.” She laughed loudly, but stopped when Wirt didn’t join in.

“And how do we going to do that? We succeeded in getting back here but we have no clue where we are or how to find them,” he looked off moodily into the distance. “We don’t even know where to begin.

 “Let’s find a path or something, maybe a town to ask for help,” Ophelia suggested, pushing past him and heading deeper into the woods. “And we can figure out where to go from there.”

They fell into a quiet gait, only the gently symphony of the forest to keep them company. It was chilly this morning, spring was still in full force here and the trees were in full bloom, but the shade of the forest kept it cool.

“Wirt?” Ophelia broke the silence after a while. “If it seems like we can’t find my family but we do find Greg, I want you guys to get out of here,” she sighed heavily as she looked away. “Without me.”

“No way,” Wirt slowed to a stop and turned to her, but Ophelia avoided his gaze. “We’re not going to leave you here.”

“We don’t know how long we have here.” Ophelia pushed past him. “And I don’t want to put Greg in anymore danger than he’s already found himself in. I need you to take him and get out while I look as long as possible.”

“Ophelia no, if you’re doing this I’m going with you.” Wirt rushed ahead, blocking her path.

“Wirt this is my family we’re talking about.” Ophelia stepped around him.

“And my friend,” Wirt added as he joined her side. “I want Beatrice back just as much as you do.”

“Why?” Ophelia snapped, making Wirt stumble back. “You barely knew her, so why do you care so much?”

“I told you, she’s my friend.” Wirt tried not to blush but failed miserably. “I j-just want to bring her back.”

Ophelia grew quiet, looking over him carefully before walking ahead. “Fine, but don’t forget how dangerous this place can be.”

“Ophelia,” Wirt sighed. “We were almost just captured by a faceless eight foot  monster; I haven’t forgotten. Are you okay?”

“I’m just anxious,” she shrugged, pulling the coat around her shoulders closer to her body. “This world is unfathomly large and we have no clue where to start looking for our family. It’s a lot to take in.”

“We’re going to find them, I know it.” Wirt gently squeezed her arm in assurance. “You have to believe we are, this world has magic ours doesn’t and sometimes just believing in something is enough to make it happen.”

“I guess,” Ophelia turned to him but couldn’t manage a smile. “It’s just...hard I guess? I haven’t seen her in almost four years and the thought of finally seeing my sister again is kinda starting to freak me out.”

“Why?” Wirt tilted his head to the side.

“What if she doesn’t know who I am?” Ophelia began to pick at the hem of Wirt’s jacket. “Or worse; what if all she remembers about me is the last thing I said to her.”

“Ophelia,” Wirt started, but she shook her head, silencing him.

“Sorry, I’m okay.” She gave him a small grin. “I think the weight of everything is just starting to hit me; remember we both had a pretty traumatic time here.”

“Trust me,” Wirt sighed, pushing his hair back from his face. “I remember.” The trees creaked ominously as the shadows grew long and they pushed ahead.

 

.::~::.

 

“Alright, I think that’s all of them,” the man removed his straw hat and used it to fan himself. “And just in time too, the market will be open soon.” He and Greg had just finished unloading the last of the birds from his wagon as the man’s pocket watch struck ten. “Thank you again for your help son, you really didn’t have to do this.”

“Old lady-“ Greg stopped himself. “A friend of mine says there are no free meals in this world,” Greg breathed heavily as he placed the last cage down. “You helped me so I had to help you in return.”

“Well I do appreciate it,” the man laughed as he produced a handkerchief from his pocket to wipe off his forehead. “This job has gotten harder since my son left.”

“Where did he go?” Greg asked, stuffing his brother’s cloak into his backpack. The day had warmed up considerably and it was downright pleasant now.

“He moved on.” The man snorted and turned away.

“Oh,” Greg nodded slowly, unsure what that meant. “Why didn’t you go with him?”

“Can’t yet, I’m waiting for my wife.” He answered with a snort. “The market is starting to open up; if you hurry you might be able to spot your friend before it gets too busy.”

“Okay, well thanks again for the ride.” Greg held out his hand the man shook his firmly.

“My pleasure, if you find yourself in need again as around for Jacob Daniels. If I’m nearby I’ll come and give you a hand again.”

“Yes sir!” Greg beamed as he shouldered his pack. “Thanks again and say bye to your ducks for me!”

Mr. Daniels chuckled to himself and waved as Greg disappeared into the gathering crowd. “What a strange boy,” he laughed as he turned back to his birds.

Greg looked around in wonder at market around him. In a large clearing in the middle of the woods, people had set up an assortment of shops and stalls to sell their goods. Everywhere you looked was a new and exciting site, from the more permanent structures of the food stalls to the covered wagons of the traveling shop keeps, everything was bright and colorful. A wonderful variety of scents assaulted his nose as Greg wandered around the fascinating area.

 Mr. Daniels had explained that there were no towns this close to the Unknown, so the people who lived out here on the edge of nowhere had set up a trading post of their own. Farmers, tailors, housewives and the like traveled from miles around to peddle their wares and goods. This far out from civilization though, people weren’t concerned with money; they wanted to trade.

The cobbler exchanged new soles for the blacksmith’s nicest hammers. Mothers swapped their careful sewing for new ribbons, threads and fabrics.  Millers traded their nicest grains for the Baker’s freshest pie. A few travelers brought exotic spices with them and offered them up for the local herbs. Vendors would offer samples as you passed by, whether it be cheese or bread or wine and soon the market would be filled with even more amazing smells and sights as more patrons filed in.

Entire families would come and spend the day: children running around spending their hard earned allowances on trinkets and knickknacks as mothers rested in the picnic area, preparing the lunch time meal as their husbands went off to do business. But of all these amazing sights and sounds to behold, the real draw was the witches.

Patrons gossiped amongst themselves as they pointed to the traveling carriages, a single room wooden house, where the witches would peddle their own type of goods. There were rumors that you could get an assortment of potions and spells to heal any number of ailments and problems. Had a bad back, a child who refused to sleep? A cow that no longer produced milk, a young man or woman whose eye you simply could not catch? They had a solution for that, but it always came at a price. Those wagons were only for the incredibly brave, foolish or desperate, that’s why they sat at the edge of the market, doors closed until one such patron gained enough resolve to go and knock on the entrance.

“Stay away from those witches,” Mr. Daniels had warned Greg on their ride in. “They all promise wide assortments of fantastical things that seem too good to be true, and they usually are. Witches almost never tell you the full price until it’s too late, so you must always be careful when making deals.”

It seemed today there were only a few such wagons, already set up for business at the very outskirts of the market. This early in the day, people made sure to give them a wide birth as they moved along their way. So their doors remained closed to the outside world as a single strand of smoke exited from the small tin chimney on top of the wagons. Greg stay away as well, only offering it a curious glance as he passed. He had already had his fill of witches in his life time; beside he was on a mission. He walked up to a plump, friendly woman who was busy setting out her assorted pastries to sell for the day.

“Excuse me ma’am,” Greg cleared his throat, drawing her attention. “I’m looking for someone and was hoping you might know her.”

“Maybe,” she looked over Greg warily, like she was trying to decide if this was a trick. “Who is she?”

“Her name is Beatrice Harper, I think she might be the daughter of a miller.” Greg shuffled his feet as he spoke.

“I don’t believe I know her,” the woman shook her head. “Hey Martin!” She shouted into her stall as a man who could have only been her brother stuck his head around the corner. “Do you know any millers who go by Harpers?”

The portly man came from the back, wiping his hands on his apron. “Hmm doesn’t ring any bells,” he shook his head. “Anything else you can tell us about them?”

“Only that there is a lot of them,” Greg shrugged sadly.

“I’m sorry sonny,” Martian shook his head. “Marsha, you know anyone else he could ask?”

“I suppose he could head over to blacksmith alley,” she tapped her chin thoughtfully. “Someone with a mill would surely need to get parts occasionally.”

“Could you tell me where that is?” Greg asked, hopeful.

“Head down this way, hang a left at the Helga the cheese patron and it should be just a few stalls down.” Marsha smiled pleasantly as she pointed out directions. “And good luck.”

“Thank you!” Greg shouted as he headed down the road. He asked around at a few of stalls as he went, but got the same answer and became more and more deflated as he went. Everyone one he asked sadly shook their heads and he started to just wander around aimlessly as the morning dragged on.

The market got busier and busier as more people arrived and Greg found it harder and harder to navigate his way through the crowd. Shoppers argued with shopkeepers over prices and haggled for better deals. Their shouts drowned out almost any attempt to get useful information out of them and Greg often left the conversations early, defeated.

He stumbled up to a stall that was mostly empty and seemed to be selling all sorts of finery like lace and ribbon. “Excuse me,” he asked exhausted. “You wouldn’t happen to know of any millers by the name of Harper, would you?”

The pleasant young lady tending the stall shook her head. “I’m sorry, I don’t know of any millers.”

“Are you sure?” Greg pleaded. “There would be a lot of them and they all probably have red hair and freckles galore!”

The girl hummed thoughtfully, “Nope, none of the millers who frequent here sound like that.”

Greg let out a groan of exasperation. “How else am I supposed to find Beatrice though? I don’t know anything else about her!”

“Wait, you’re looking for a Beatrice Harper?” The lady’s eyes grew wide.

“Yes!” Greg shouted in excitement.

“I don’t know if her family are millers, but there is a Beatrice with red hair who comes to the market all the time.”

“Have you seen her today?” Greg practically jumped over the counter to get closer to the shop owner.

“Yes, she just left a few moments ago,” the startled girl pointed further down the lane, into the crowd. If you hurry you might be able to catch her.”

Greg rushed away with barely a word of thanks and he lunged headlong into the horde. He weaved under arms and around legs and he looked frantically for anyone who might be Beatrice. He stumbled into a crossroads- the crowd thinned here- as he searched desperately for any sign of her. Then, he saw it; to his left was a swish of copper hair and his heart leapt.

“Beatrice!” Greg shouted, chasing after the girl as he pushed past the crowd. With eager fingers he clutched for the hem of her dress and tugged on it to get her attention. “Beatr-“ His voice caught in his throat as the girl turned around in a look of confusion.

“Can I help you?” She asked as Greg’s heart fell. The hair was the same but the face was all wrong. She lacked freckles, her eyes were brown and she was much too thin. Even though he had seen just a few pictures of her, he knew this was not his Beatrice.

“I’m sorry,” he spoke softly, defeated. “I thought you were someone else.” He turned away and stumbled off heartbroken as the girl looked after him in confusion.

Greg found a small picnic area populated by a few families trying to enjoy an early lunch and laid down dramatically on the bench. He flopped down, closing his eyes as he sighed heavily, sure he would never be able to find Beatrice in this crowd.

“Hey are you okay?” A voice asked. Their shadow fell over Greg and he sadly shook his head.

“Not unless you can point me to Beatrice Harper, no.” He groaned.

“...Greg?” The voice asked quietly as it finally became familiar to him and he shot up.

Greg looked up and saw Beatrice standing above him, a look that was a combination of awe and confusion etched on her face. “Beatrice!” He shouted, throwing himself at her as he buried his face into her stomach. “It’s you, it’s really you!”

“Greg what are you doing here?” She gasped, pushing him away enough to look him over. “Are you okay, are you lost? Where is Wirt? You two were supposed to get out of here years ago!”

“We did but I came back!” Greg laughed as he hugged her tighter. “I had to find you, we missed you.”

Beatrice’s worried expression softened and she returned his hug. “I’ve missed you too, but it still doesn’t explain why you are here.”

“It will be easier to explain once we get back.” Greg pulled anxiously at her hand and tried to lead her away. “As soon as I figure out how to get back.”

“Get back where?” Beatrice stumbled after him as he pulled her back into the crowd.

“How did me and Wirt do it last time?” Greg wondered, ignoring Beatrice’s confused questions. “I feel like we just walked back and woke up on the other side.”

“Greg, slow down,” Beatrice pleaded as the crowd surged around them.

“Will that work this time though?” Greg released Beatrice’s hand to scratch his head. “I guess we could try it.”

“Greg!” Beatrice shouted as the people moved around her and the small boy disappeared from her site. He walked on, oblivious to the fact he had left his hard sought friend behind and they grew further and further apart in the mob. She looked around in worry as they were separated. “Cheese and crackers, where did that boy go?”

 

.::~::.

 

Wirt and Ophelia stumbled upon the market completely by accident. They had found a road after hiking through the woods for some time and noticed that most of the traffic went towards it. After asking a few passersby what was going on, they figured that it was as good as a place as any to begin their search.

So they hitched a ride and now stood on the outskirts, unsure how to proceed.

“I guess we can just start asking around.” Ophelia suggested after several minutes of them waiting about.

 “It’s as good as any plan I can come up with I guess.” Wirt shrugged unenthusiastically. “Though I think wandering around just asking if anyone has seen an obnoxious little boy.”

“Excuse me,” an older man walked up to the couple, straw hat in hand. “I couldn’t help up over hear your conversation and was wondering; are you looking for Gregory?”

“Yes!” Ophelia and Wirt shouted in unison. “Have you seen him?!”

“Well yes, I gave him a ride into the market,” He nodded. “Are you the Harper he was looking for?”

“I might be,” Ophelia turned to Wirt with a shrug. “Have you seen him recently?”

“Not since this morning, no.” The man shook his head.

“But he’s here?” Wirt couldn’t help but grin ear-to-ear.

“As far as I know,” The man confirmed.

“Then I guess we better start asking.” Ophelia laughed and rushed ahead into the crowd.

“Ophelia, wait!” Wirt called, turning back to the man. “Thank you for your help, if you see Greg again tell him Wirt is looking for him, please.”

“Sure thing kiddo.” Mr. Daniels nodded. “Good luck.”

“Thanks again!” Wirt called as he tried to follow Ophelia into the crowd. After just a few minutes he gave up his search with a heavy sigh. “Great now I’ve lost both of them.” He mumbled to himself as he began wandering around the market looking for any sign of either of them.

Ophelia was so hyper-focused on finding Greg she didn’t even notice that Wirt wasn’t by her side for almost twenty minutes. She meandered from stall to stall asking around for the young boy, but except for a few confused directions from merchants, she didn’t have any luck. Ophelia had been to a market like this once before, the first time she had come to the unknown, so she wasn’t in as complete awe of the place as Greg had been. But knowing that he was so close gave her new resolve and she pushed ahead, determined to be reunited with her friends.

She was deep in conversations with a pleasant, round lady who remembered Greg from that morning when the woman gasped and pointed frantically over Ophelia’s shoulder.

“There he is!” Marsha laughed hardly. “It seems like you all need to keep a closer eye on each other.”

“Greg?!” Ophelia gasped as she turned around, spotting the small boy just a few tents down. “Greg!” She shouted, drawing his attention.

“Ophelia?!” Greg yelled back, rushing towards her as fast as he could go.

“Greg!” Ophelia ran forward to meet him, pushing the crowd aside as she wrapped him in a tight hug.

“Ophelia?” Greg gasped; equal parts of surprised and happy to see her. Many disgruntled market patrons shot her a dirty glare, but she ignored them as tears filled her eyes.

“Oh my God, Gregory Fairchild don’t you ever do something like this again!” Ophelia snapped through her happy laughter, actually picking the smaller boy up and twirling him around in a tight hug.

“Do what?” Greg asked as he was finally set on the ground.

“Put yourself in danger like this!” Ophelia shouted, oblivious to the gathering crowd as her happiness turned quickly to anger. “You can’t just run off into the Unknown like that!”

“But I had to save Beatrice and you and Wirt weren’t going to let me come!” He countered with his own anger, hands set defiantly on his hips.

“And for good reason,” she scoffed, crossing her arms. “We don’t even know if we can find her or bring her back with us! Heck, we aren’t even sure we can get back!” She tucked her shaking hands underneath her arms, using her annoyance to hide her fear.

“Well then it’s a good thing I found her ,” Greg announced proudly, chin held high. “So that’s 1/3 of the problem solved right there.”

Ophelia’s arms dropped along with her jaw. “What?” She gasped, her breath catching in her throat.

“Ophelia,” Greg beamed and took her hand in his, bringing it close to his chest. “I found her. I found Beatrice.”

“She...she’s here?” Ophelia squeaked as she glanced around. “At the market?”

“Yup! I just lost her a few minutes ago, right before you showed up. I bet if we hurry we can catch her!” Greg turned to dart away, holding tightly onto Ophelia’s hand, but was stopped in his tracks by his older friend. He turned back slowly, looking at the shaking girl; an immobile mass of terror. “Ophelia?” Greg asked, stepping closer to her as he gently patted her hand. “What’s wrong?”

“N-nothing!” Ophelia barked out a shaky laugh. “Just...anxious to see her I guess?”

“Well then let’s get going!” Greg pulled away and ran deeper into the crowd again, but Ophelia stood back. She watched him disappear into the mass of gathering people, unable to follow.  Her eyes darted around the area, searching for something, her pupils widening as they landed on a particular sign. She looked back towards Greg’s tiny form disappearing into the crowd once more, then moved away with determination.

 

.::~::.

 

_The Conductor stood stone still as the wind whipped at his waistcoat. Its blank face as unreadable as the mountainside, glaring down at the passing woodland as the train continued on its relentless journey. Yet again that girl had slipped through its grasps, and this time she had brought a friend._

_“_ No _,” its low growl rumbled along with the train. “_ She is not escaping me again. _” It turned slowly from the open door. The door slid silently closed behind it, enveloping the Conductor in darkness._

_“_ I’m catching that stowaway, one way or another. _” The train rumbled on, closer and closer to its final destination._

_“_ And I’m bringing her to where she belongs.”


	2. A Strange Thing Happened at the Market Today

Wirt pushed past the crowd in a panic, not only was he trying to find Greg but now he had lost Ophelia too. The throng closed in tighter as did his throat, and as panic rose in him, he tried to quell it long enough to get to the pathway between two stalls or back into the edges of the horde. But the mob pushed closer, Wirt was suddenly only able to breathe in short, panicked gasps. His eyes darted around as he searched desperately for an escape. The market seemed exceptionally packed, every sense of Wirt’s was assaulted in unison.

The assorted spices were smothering as they wafted from various tents, making his eyes water and his nose run. The din of the crowd became unbearable; vendors shouted out their various goods to the passing shoppers, mothers barked for their children to behave and gaggles of giggling kids rushed by Wirt’s legs, almost causing him to trip. He couldn’t think straight, couldn’t breath and was barely moving of his own volition. He was pushed along with the flow of the crowd, unable to even lift his arms and gain a desperately needed fraction of personal space to think.

“Excuse me-“ He tried to speak but his voice came out weak and broken. His palms grew sweaty and someone bumped into his back, making him sprawl to the ground in a heap. “Wait!” he yelled but his shouts were lost in the racket. He reached desperately for the sky, stretching with all his might for any kind of escape. He was drowning in the wave of people, a sailor thrown overboard at sea and falling to his demise in the inky black ocean below.

And like a dream, a life line descended in the form of delicate, pale hand. “Hey careful!” A feminine voice shouted at the mob, making them part in two streams around Wirt’s huddled form. He looked up towards the voice of his savior, the sun shining through her copper colored hair, forming a halo of light to surround her round face. Wirt blinked in surprise as Beatrice Harper hovered above  him.

“Hey, are you okay-“ Beatrice started to speak as she helped him to his feet, but stopped as recognition swept over her features. “Wirt?!” she gasped. “What are you doing here?”

“Beatrice!” Wirt laughed, pulling her into an uncharacteristic hug, throwing her off balance. “Looking for-“ Wirt stopped himself from saying her name.

“Hold on a second, let’s get somewhere less insane.” Beatrice pulled back and took his hand as she led him to a small picnic area. It was a sunny spot on the edge of the market, a few blankets set up by families who were busy watching children too small to runoff with their friends or seniors too old to deal with the crowds.

Wirt tried subtly to get a good look at Beatrice. She was wearing a light, checkered print dress under a hooded cloak a lovely shade of blue. A basket was tucked gently in the crook of her arm, already filled with a variety of goods. Her ginger hair was pulled back into a low ponytail that tumbled down her back, with just a few strands pulled forward to frame her freckled face. She looked older than her past photos, standing a good two inches above Wirt. Her facial features were sharper than that of her twin, but not identical and her green eyes looked over Wirt in confusion.

“Wirt, what are you doing back here?”

“Looking for Greg, he got lost in the Unknown again,” he explained quickly, causing Beatrice to gasp.

“Again? How? Was it the Beast?” Her concern turned to rage as she clenched her fists. “I swear if it’s that witch that cursed me I’m gonna show her what I can do with two fists instead of wings-”

“No it was an accident,” Wirt interrupted. “He fell back over the wall and I guess somehow he got sent back here,” he stretched the truth, unsure how much he should tell her, or if it was even his place. “So we came over to get him back.”

“We?” Beatrice questioned. “Who’s we?”

“Well, uh, my uh, friend,” Wirt stumbled over his words. “You’ll meet her soon but first we need to find both of her and Greg.”

“You came over to find your brother and got lost yourself?” Beatrice smirked, crossing her arms. “Why am I not surprised?”

“I didn’t get lost, we just got separated.” Wirt huffed, mimicking her arm movements. “Have you seen this place? It’s a madhouse!”

Beatrice laughed but motioned for him to follow. “Alright, alright let’s go see if we can find your little brother and friend. Stay close though.” She threw a wink in his direction, making Wirt’s cheek flare red but he followed dutifully. “I already saw Greg but he managed to slip away from me too.”

They wandered to stalls carefully, Beatrice checking with each merchant if they had seen a small boy in a blue cape or an ‘energetic girl’ since that is all Wirt would say about Ophelia.

“Is that seriously the best description you can give?” She scoffed, turning towards Wirt after a particularity useless interrogation.

“It’s one of her most distinguishing features,” Wirt offered lamely.

“How about a hair color?” Beatrice suggested, making Wirt squirm more.

“Auburn,” he finally said, making her throw a hand up in triumph.

“Better than nothing, let’s keep looking.” They pushed ahead, Beatrice keeping a strong hand in Wirt’s as he struggled to keep his blush down. “Why are you guys here?” she asked after a moment.

“To find Greg,” Wirt answered.

“And why is Greg over here without you?” Beatrice threw a glance back at him.

“Because he missed you and wanted to visit,” Wirt lied, feeling his palms grow sweaty and hoping Beatrice wouldn’t notice.

“Have your hands always been this sweaty and I just never noticed as a bird?” she asked Wirt, who at that moment was wishing he could literally die of embarrassment.

“No it’s just hot.” His voice squeaked like a prepubescent boy’s.

“Well stay close, I’m not losing both of you in the same day.” Beatrice rolled her eyes but didn’t let go of Wirt’s hand as they pushed their way through the crowd.

“Excuse me,” she put on a charming smile as they pulled up to a vendor selling small toys. “You haven’t seen a young boy in a blue cape today, have you?”

“No,” the man answered, obviously uninterested as he didn’t even bother to look up at them as they entered his tent.

“Are you sure?” Wirt pleaded as he stepped forward. “He looks kinda like me, but is about ten.”

“I said no,” the man growled, focusing on the toy in his hand. “Do I look like the lost and found booth to you? If you aren’t going to buy anything then move along, ya freeloaders.”

“Put a cork in it, ya jerk.” Beatrice snapped as she pulled Wirt away. “We asked nicely.”

“Nice doesn’t put food on the table, lady!” he shouted back as they left.

“What a butthole,” Beatrice grumbled. “We only asked a question.”

“Yeah, but I’m kinda worried that Greg has been asking all these people the same questions.” Wirt looked around, hopeful he would catch a glimpse of his little brother. “I can’t help but feel like we’re playing the most complicated game of ‘Catch-up’ ever.”

“Well, all we’re accomplishing by standing around here is wasting daylight; let’s keep moving.” Beatrice led the way as Wirt followed behind.

A quiet ‘Psst’ drew his attention and a quick swish of what looked like red hair caught his eye. He squinted, trying to see into the dark alley as he heard his name whispered from it.

“Why don’t we split up?” he offered suddenly. Beatrice slowed to a stop and looked at him, confused.

“And risk getting separated again?” Beatrice smirked.

“We can cover more ground this way,” Wirt rolled his eyes. “Besides what if we come up with a place to meet up in about half an hour? We can both keep looking for Greg and hopefully run into him soon.”

“You sure?” Beatrice tilted her head to the side.

“Yeah,” he glanced over to the alleyway then back to Beatrice with a large grin. “Want to meet back up by that picnic area we were in earlier?”

“I can do that.” Beatrice nodded slowly.

“Great, see you soon!” Wirt called as he disappeared into the alley before she could even respond. He walked ahead cautiously, searching for the other girl he had come to the Unknown for. “Ophelia?” he whispered quietly. “Where are you?”

“I’m back here.” The small reply came from behind a stack of crates.

“Why are you hiding?” Wirt walked forward slowly.

“Cause I’m not sure I’m ready to face my sister yet,” she whispered in return. “Not that it really matters right now anyways.”

“Why?” Wirt asked as he stepped further into the darkness.

“Well you see,” Ophelia finally slipped out from her hiding spot, making Wirt jump in surprise. “I not really feeling like myself right now.” She sat down in front of Wirt, wrapping her fluffy tail the same color as her hair around her small paws as she did so.

“You-“ Wirt gulped as he tried to speak. “You’re a fox.”

“I know,” Ophelia sighed. “Thank you for the compliment.”

“You’re fox, like an actual literal fox.” Wirt shook his head in disbelief.

“No way, I hadn’t noticed,” Ophelia deadpanned. “Excellent powers of deduction there Sherlock.”

“What happened?” Wirt gasped as he hunkered down to get closer to her.

“I kinda had a run in with a witch.” Ophelia shrugged with one of her furry shoulders. “It’s a long story I don’t want to get into right now. Besides, we need to focus on finding our siblings.”

“But you’re a fox,” Wirt repeated, dumbfounded. “What are we going to do about that?”

“One problem at a time.” Ophelia walked to the entrance back into the market and peeked around the corner. “This isn’t the first time you’ve met a person who was turned into an animal, I don’t know why you are freaking out right now.”

“Cause it’s the first time I’ve met someone who was previously a person who got turned into an animal that I knew was a person beforehand and now I’ve just confused myself.” Wirt sighed as he grabbed as his hair. “What are we going tell Beatrice?”

“Just that I’m a girl who needs to find a way to reverse this.” Ophelia turned around to him. “Nothing about who I am or why we really came here yet.”

“Why?” Wirt asked, shaking his head. “We came here specifically to save her.”

“I know but this is all gonna be such a huge shock to her I don’t want to overload her with information and make her freak out or anything.” Ophelia began pacing at the mouth of the alleyway. “We need to ease her into all of this slowly, like you know how you aren’t supposed to wake a person who is sleepwalking?”

“Yeah.” Wirt nodded numbly, still trying to wrap his head around what was happening.

“Same concept, we can’t just rush forward and tell her the truth. But first and foremost we need to find Greg and let him in on our plan before he blows the whole thing.”

“And how do you suggest we do that?” Wirt sighed, exasperated. “We’ve been looking for him all day.”

“By sniffing him out.” Ophelia winked and began smelling the ground. “I’m still new to this whole animal thing but I think I can find his particular scent. Or rather, yours.”

“Are you saying I stink?” Wirt gasped, throwing an overly-dramatic offended hand to his chest.

“No I’m saying you guys smell like your house, a unique smell I can use to find Greg. Now come on, we’re burning daylight.” She leapt out into the sunlight and began hunting for Greg, nose to the ground, and Wirt couldn’t help but smirk. He was starting to see the resemblance between the sisters.

Confused patrons jumped out of her way as Wirt apologized and followed behind. “Any luck?” he asked after a few minutes of fruitless searching.

“Not yet but we’re close.” Ophelia lifted her head up and sniffed fully. “His scent is fresher in this direction. Come on.” She lead the way, dodging between people’s legs as Wirt tried his best to keep up with her. Upon rounding a corner, Ophelia broke out into a smile and her tail began almost wagging. “I see him!” She barked in laughter and rushed ahead, barely giving Wirt time to catch up. He turned the corner himself and saw Greg about twenty yards away, Ophelia happily bouncing around him.

“Greg!” Wirt felt his heart swell at the sight of his little brother. All the worry he had felt at the hospital suddenly came rushing back to him and was immediately replaced by an even greater sense of relief. He rushed forward, not caring who or what he pushed out of his way as he swooped down and wrapped Greg into a hug. “Greg you’re okay!”

“Of course I’m okay, o’brother o’mine.” Greg laughed, happily returning the embrace.

“Greg.” Wirt looked his little brother over, checking to make sure all his appendages were there. “You can’t do things like this! Mom and Dave are worried sick about you.” The initial relief he felt quickly passed after he saw Greg was fine and was replaced with annoyance. “What if you had broken something, or worse!?”

“But you and Ophelia were taking forever trying to figure out what to do, I wasn’t just gonna sit around and do nothing while you guys dragged your feet.” Greg pointed out. “And besides all that, I found Beatrice!”

“Yeah but it was incredibly dangerous to do it your way,” Wirt growled. “What was even your plan? Put yourself in your own coma and just hope you could figure out a way to get both of you back?”

“Well no, I was just going to see if maybe it mattered if we went back over the wall at night time, like the first time we went over.” Greg explained, crossing his arms in a huff. “I didn’t mean to fall, there were a bunch of loose bricks on the top and I accidently slipped.”

“Guys,” Ophelia tried to interrupt.

“It was still insane to go there by yourself. And at night, no less,” Wirt continued to lecture him.

“Boys,” Ophelia barred her teeth.

“Well, you wouldn’t let me come with you.” Greg threw his hands in the air. “What else was I supposed to do?”

“HEY!” Ophelia barked, startling not only the brothers but several other people around them. “Focus, you’re both right.”

“What?” The boys asked in unison.

“Wirt.” Ophelia turned to the older brother. “You’re right what Greg did was super dangerous and could’ve had a lot worse consequences than he anticipated. He shouldn’t have gone off on his own and ignored our warnings.”

“Exactly!” Wirt puffed up his chest proudly as he looked down on his little brother.

“But Greg wasn’t in the wrong completely,” she continued, making Wirt deflate. “Greg, we should have listened to you and tried to explain better why we didn’t want you to come here. We failed you as older siblings and I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay Ophelia.” Greg gently patted her head. “I just think you and Wirt worry too much sometimes.”

“We worry an appropriate amount considering what we’re doing right now,” Ophelia corrected him as she slipped from under his hand. “We’re all risking a lot by being here and we need to focus at the task at hand, which is getting Beatrice back.”

“And fixing your fox problem,” Wirt pointed out while gesturing to her.

“Oh yeah, why are you a fox?” Greg asked.

“Witch shenanigans,” she stated simply, like that was supposed to explain anything. Wirt knitted his brows together while Greg just nodded like this was a perfectly acceptable answer. “But it brings me to our next point Greg; we all need to keep quiet about who I really am and why we’re really here when we speak to Beatrice.”

“Why?” Greg asked, looking between her and his brother.

“Ophelia explained it like how you’re not supposed to wake a sleepwalker,” Wirt answered.

“Beatrice’s body and mind is under a lot a strain in our world,” Ophelia continued. “I think it’s best if we ease her into the situation, I don’t want to send her into shock and it to have horrible repercussions back in the real world. It’s also why we’re not going to tell her who I am yet, it’s just way too much information.”

“I guess that makes sense,” Greg mumbled thoughtfully. “But now we have to actually find Beatrice again.”

“I have that covered; we came up with a meeting place for after we found you two,” Wirt said and nodded over his shoulder. “Follow me and we’ll meet back up with her.”

The trio made their way back to the picnic area as the market began to vacate. There were still several hours of daylight left but since it seemed like many people had a long way to travel to get back home, a lot of them began packing up and refilling their carts with their unsold goods and new items. As they entered the clearing, Beatrice was already waiting for them.

“Beatrice!” Greg yelled as he ran towards her again.

Wirt began to move as well, but noticed Ophelia hanging back. “Hey are you okay?” he asked, but she just numbly nodded. They walked over to her, Ophelia staying partially hidden behind Wirt’s ankle as Beatrice was busy with Greg.

“I just saw you a few hours ago,” she laughed as Greg hugged her vigorously. “You don’t have to be so enthusiastic this time, Greg.”

“I know but I’ve really missed you!” He laughed and hugged her tighter.

“And I’ve missed you,” she patted his head affectionately as she turned up and winked at Wirt. “Both of you.”

“It’s good to see you, Beatrice.” Wirt pulled her into another hug, this one less desperate. “You have no idea how good.”

“I can kinda guess though based on how Greg has yet to let me go.” She laughed as they separated from their embrace. “Any luck on finding your friend?”

“Yeah about that,” Wirt rubbed the back of his head as he stepped aside, revealing an abnormally quiet Ophelia.

The vixen jumped but stayed in place, nervously hopping from foot to foot in front of Beatrice. “Hi,” she finally managed a small greeting.

“Wow Wirt this isn’t what I thought you meant when you said she was a red-head,” Beatrice turned to the older boy. “That would have been a lot better description than ‘energetic’.”

“The fox part is a recent development.” He glanced at Ophelia.

“It’s actually one of the reasons we wanted to find you!” she jumped in suddenly. “Wirt said you had experience with witch curses and I thought you might be able to help me.”

“A witch did this to you?” Beatrice cocked her head to the side. “Why?”

“She thought I was someone else.” Ophelia swished her tail nervously. “And now we need to figure out a way to reverse it before we can go back home.”

“I guess I do know a thing or two about witches,” Beatrice mused. “Okay I’ll help you guys but not tonight; it’s getting late and I need to get home myself. Why don’t you guys come with me and stay the night? We can have dinner at my house, figure out a plan of attack tonight and get an early start in the morning.”

“That sounds great!” Ophelia grinned widely, which was a strange look on a fox.

“We would really appreciate it,” Wirt added.

“And we get to spend more time with you!” Greg shouted excitedly.

“Alright then it’s a plan.” Beatrice beamed as she motioned for them to follow her. “I guess you guys are going to get to meet the Harper clan.”

They followed her dutifully as she led them deeper into the woods. The day had grown hot, but the shade of the trees provided them relief from the sun so the walk was pleasant. They filled the time by recounting what had been happening in their lives for the past few years.

“Did you ever get to date that one girl?” Beatrice asked as she lead them through a wide creek, skipping lightly over the stepping stones placed in the water. “What was her name, Sara?”

“I did actually,” Wirt laughed as he tried to copy her moves and almost stumbling. "We dated for like a year and a half before we split, in fact.”

“Oh.” Beatrice stopped on the other side and reached out to stead him with a firm hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, they’re friends now,” Greg piped up as he chose to just splash through the stream instead. “And we still all get to hang out and get hot chocolate together sometimes!”

“It was mutual break up.” Wirt agreed. “I’m assuming you and your family are doing better since you’re obviously not birds anymore.”

“We are,” Beatrice chuckled lightly. “Definitely happy we can eat normal things now and not worms.”

“Like waffles?!” Greg squealed, making Beatrice laugh even harder.

“Defiantly waffles.” She ruffled Greg’s hair affectionately.

“My mom used to make the best waffles,” Ophelia commented wistfully. After a moment she realized what she had said and added, “S-so I’m sure you are glad you can enjoy your own mother’s food.

“Can I ask how you three know each other?” Beatrice questioned, giving Ophelia a sidelong look.

“Oh! Me and Wirt are in the same class,” Ophelia quickly explained. “I’m from the other side of the Wall, like them.”

“And you came with him to find Greg?” Beatrice asked as Ophelia trotted up beside her.

“Well yeah, they are like family to me,” she tried to shrug but failed with her new body. “And I know what the Unknown is like; I wasn’t going to let Wirt go alone.”

“You’ve been here before?” Beatrice stopped suddenly, shocked.

“Yeah, a few years ago,” Ophelia explained. “I never knew it was a real place till I met Wirt and Greg in fact, I always thought I had dreamed up this world.”

“Oh it’s real alright.” Beatrice shook her head in disbelief.

“So what have you been doing since we were last in the Unknown?” Wirt asked as they began moving along.

“Not much outside the norm, I suppose.” Beatrice shrugged nonchalantly. “I help my mother with sewing and needlepoint and my father with the gardening. A couple of my siblings are finally old enough to start seriously helping around the house so the oldest of my brothers has been training with my father at the mill and my little sister has been cooking and cleaning.”

“That seems nice.” Ophelia tried to act casual. “Less work for you to do, at least.”

“Yeah, except now my mother has started pushing me to look for suitors so she can marry me off.” She rolled her eyes as Wirt squirmed awkwardly.

“You don’t want to get married this young though, do you?” he asked frantically, making Beatrice cock an eyebrow at him.

“I’m not that young; I’m eighteen, that’s almost ‘old maid’ status.” She smirked while making the quotations marks in the air with her fingers.  

“Well that’s incredibly young to get married where we’re from,” Wirt mumbled as he stared at the ground.

“Well, maybe I would do better in your world than I do here,” Beatrice joked but Wirt, Greg and Ophelia all exchanged quick glances  before the fox girl shook her head. ‘Not yet’ she seemed to indicate as Beatrice pushed back a set of low hanging tree limbs and stepped out into a sunny clearing.

“Well, welcome to my home.” Beatrice swept her arm out in a flourish. A large house stood before them, a lively river bubbled beside it, pushing the water wheel connected to a mill.

“Hey! We’ve been here before!” Greg gasped as they walked out of the woods. “Remember Wirt, this is where we met the Woodsman!”

“Really?” Beatrice turned to them with wide eyes. “Was that when we were bluebirds?”

“Yeah!” Greg nodded enthusiastically. “Remember Wirt we accidentally destro-“

Wirt elbowed his little brother sharply in the shoulder. “We left it exactly how we found it,” he warned, sending a withering glare to Greg.

“Yeah sure,” Greg mumbled, rubbing his sore arm.

Beatrice gave them an odd look, but let it drop. “Come on inside and meet my family and we’ll see if we can’t come up with a plan to save...” she tapered off while knitting her brows together and turning to Ophelia. “I’m sorry; I never got your name.”

“Oh! Uh” Ophelia’s ears pulled back as she looked around, panicked. “It’s uh, C-clementine!” She finally stuttered out, making Beatrice hum thoughtfully.

“Huh, okay. Nice to meet you, Clementine.” She shrugged. “That’s interesting.”

“Why is that weird?” Greg asked as Beatrice led them towards her house.

“We used to have a dog named Clementine,” Beatrice answered as Wirt leaned down to Ophelia.

“You named your car after the dog?” he whispered, lagging behind with Ophelia.

“She was a good dog,” Ophelia mumbled. Wirt cracked a smile making her shoot him a glare. “What’s so funny?”

“Is that also why you just named yourself after the dog?” He smirked.

“Shut it, Pilgrim.” She growled, making him snicker before she whipped him with her tail.

“OW!” Wirt yelped, making Greg and Beatrice turn toward him.

“You okay?” Greg asked as Wirt rubbed his leg.

“Yeah I accidentally hit him with my tail,” Ophelia laughed. “Still getting used to this body, whoops!”

“Yeah, big whoops,” Wirt grumbled as Beatrice opened the door to her house.

“Mother, Father!” she shouted as she stepped inside, removing her cloak and hanging it on a rack nailed to the wall. “I’m back and I brought guests!”

Three young children were scattered around the front room as they entered. A preteen girl with her red hair pulled back in a perfect pair of pigtails was playing a game of checkers with a boy who couldn’t be more than five. A teenage girl was sitting at an instrument that Wirt recognized as a harpsichord, practicing. They all looked up as Beatrice walked in and the girl at the instrument spun around and smiled, “Hey sis! How was the market?”

“Good, picked up a few more things than intended though.” Beatrice pointed backwards to her group of friends. “Is mom in the kitchen, Margery?” she asked the musician.

“Guests?” A feminine voice traveled from a room in the back of the house. “Who in the world did you bring home from the market?”

“Some old friends!” Beatrice yelled back as she motioned everyone to follow her. “I guess that answers my question.”

Margery jumped up from the bench and the little boy abandoned his game to follow behind the group. “I didn’t know you had friends.” The little boy looked the group over carefully. “Especially boy ones.”

“Scram brats,” Beatrice snapped as she shooed them away. “Go find someone else to bother, Puck.” Her tone was annoyed but the way she ruffled her sibling’s hair as they scampered away indicated only affection.

Margery and Puck both ran outside, but not before he stuck his tongue out playfully.

“Wait till our brothers hear about this!” Margery giggled and slammed the front door behind them.

The last of Beatrice’s siblings stayed behind though, peaking around the corner at Ophelia. “Mom isn’t gonna be thrilled about having a forest animal in the house again,” she warned.

“It will be fine, Rosaline.” Beatrice rolled her eyes as she passed by. “She is only a fox temporarily.” Rosaline remained silent as she watched them all head deeper into the house. With the basket tucked in the crook of her arm, Beatrice headed to the kitchen as she called ahead. “We’ll have a couple of more people for dinner.”

The kitchen was large and neat, a large hearth with a warm fire crackled invitingly, and immediately told Wirt the kind of woman Beatrice’s mother was.  A long handmade wooden table was the centerpiece of the room, obviously well worn and loved. The room smelled of fresh baked bread and warm vanilla and the woman responsible for it all stood before them.

Beatrice’s mother had her back turned to them, busy washing a few dishes in a large basin. “Old friends?” she repeated as she turned around, drying her hands on her apron. Mrs. Harper was a portly woman, but gave off an exceptionally friendly air. Most of her mahogany hair was tucked into a bonnet, making her round face even more pronounced. Her brows knitted together as she looked over Wirt, Greg and Ophelia. “One of your friends is a fox?” Mrs. Harper mused as Ophelia gulped and slipped behind Wirt.

“Not usually.” Beatrice walked over and set the basket on the counter. “That’s one of the reasons they are here actually. Clementine got cursed by a witch and Wirt and Greg brought her to me since I have a little bit of experience with such things.”

Her mother snorted. “Did you happen to throw a rock at a witch in disguise too?”

“N-no ma’am,” Ophelia gulped as she cowered close to the floor. “It was a case of mistaken identity.”

“Well, at least you are willing to ask for help instead of running off without telling your family where you are going to try and fix it all on your own.” Mrs. Harper snorted, making Beatrice’s cheeks flush a bright crimson.

“Mother!” Beatrice crossed her arms over her chest.

“I’m only teasing dear,” her mother dismissed her daughter’s annoyance flippantly. “What do you need?”

“Can they stay the night while they figure out a plan?” Beatrice remained sullen as her blush refused to disappear.

Mrs. Harper hummed thoughtfully. “Let’s console with your father first, but I don’t see why that would be a problem. Why don’t you go get him and we’ll discuss it.”

“Alright.” Beatrice turned on her heel and stalked out the backdoor. “You guys stay here, I’ll me back in a moment.”

“Why don’t you all go and get comfortable in the den? It looks like you all had a long day and could use some rest.” Mrs. Harper smiled kindly as she turned to put a kettle on the stove. “It is afternoon tea time after all and I would be delighted if you joined us.”


	3. Exit, pursued by Family

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You're welcome for this chapter title.

If Wirt thought the market place was crowded and smothering, it was nothing compared to the Harper household. They had been there a total of fifteen minutes and already were being assaulted by questions. By the time they had gotten back to the den, half of the Harper children were already waiting for them; it seemed that gossip traveled fast around their small home with so many kids to spread the news. As Beatrice gathered her parents, Beatrice’s youngest siblings climbed all over Wirt, reaching up their small hands to touch his face, hair, and clothes as they asked him a variety of questions.

“Where are you from?” A boy the same age as Greg with large blue eyes and wild auburn hair asked. 

“How do you know Beatrice?” A girl who had to be his twin asked, poking at Wirt’s face. 

“Does everyone wear stupid clothes like this there?” Puck, the youngest with short cropped hair asked. 

“Aberdale, Arizona; we met her the last time we came over the wall; and only Wirt.” Greg answered happily as Wirt just turned frantically to the fox standing protectively by his little brother’s leg. 

“My clothes aren’t stupid, are they?” 

“I don’t think so,” ‘Clementine’ answered with the fox equivalent of a shrug. “But maybe they are a little different for the Unknown.” 

“We aren’t in the unknown.” A teenaged boy answered while pushing up his round glasses. “You only live in the Unknown if you are crazy.” 

“Yeah, crazy awesome!” A boy who looked identical to him yelled. 

“It’s full of monsters,” Rosaline whispered as she peeped out from behind the leg of the oldest boy.

He was probably a couple of years younger than Wirt, but at least three inches taller, and he was trying to appear larger than that by puffing out his chest and looking down at Greg and Wirt with a protective glare. “And how exactly did you guys survive coming to the Unknown not once, but twice?” He cautiously watched them as a girl with strawberry blonde hair who must have been just a year younger than him smacked him on the shoulder.

“Benvolio.” She placed the tea set in front of Wirt and Greg. “Stop harassing Beatrice’s friends,” she warned as she crossed her arms and elbowed her older brother in the side, hard. “Sebastian, Viola and Puck get off of them this instant.” She shooed away the twins who ran off giggling as Benvolio just huffed.

“Well, sorry I’m not as trusting as you, Helena, but when two mysterious boys and a talking fox show up claiming to come from a different world and that they know my sister, I become a little suspicious,” Benvolio mumbled as Margery flounced back into the room, taking a seat beside Wirt and cozying up to him, much to Benvolio’s annoyance.

“To be fair we were talking birds for a while,” she pointed out, earning a patented Harper glare from her older brother. Wirt realized that between her, the boy with glasses and his twin, they had to be the triplets.

“Margery, that’s not the point,” he mumbled while sulking further into himself. “I just don’t trust them, Rosaline’s with me, right Rosie?” He affectionately patted the little girl’s hair who was too busy clinging to his leg to answer.

“You guys realize we’re sitting right here and can hear everything you are saying, right?” Wirt asked hesitantly, earning another scowl from Benvolio.

“I think it’s cool you guys have been to the Unknown.” Margery batted her eyelashes at Wirt. “We just had to stay in a dumb tree when we got turned into birds while Beatrice got to go off and have adventures.” She pouted while laying her head on Wirt’s shoulder. He tried desperately to slip out of her grip as he felt Benvolio’s look grow hotter.

“Margery!” Her bespectacled triplet rolled his eyes. “Get off him.”

“I’m not bothering anyone, Orlando.” She made a face as she gripped Wirt’s upper arm tightly.

“You are the worst flirt,” the other triplet snickered. “This is why none of the boys at school will have anything to do with you.”

“Shut up, Lysander!” she growled as she got up to push him.

The triplets bickering devolved into a shouting match as Benvolio stood up to break them up. “Will you guys stop it already?” He sighed as Helena just gave Wirt an apologetic look.

“I apologize for everyone’s behavior, especially Benny’s.” Helena shook her head while staring at her family. Benvolio started to protest but was quickly silenced by another elbow in the side. “He usually isn’t this brash in judgement, but he’s become a bit more cautious when it comes to things from the Unknown, for obvious reasons.”

“It’s okay!” Greg spoke up as he grabbed a handful of the tea cookies Helena had brought with her. “If I had been turned into a bird I would be ticked off with anything that came from the Unknown too.”

“What did you do to make the witch turn you into a fox?” Puck asked, reaching to touch Ophelia. She scurried out of his way, dashing away in a tight circle and all but crashing into Wirt’s leg as she perched at his side.

“She thought I was someone else,” she mumbled, half hiding behind Wirt’s chair. She was anxious, her tail twitching from one side to the other as she watched the room carefully. Wirt reached down and gently brushed down her ruffled fur with his fingers, trying to calm her.

“Puck!” Helena chided, picking up her little brother, who was suddenly sneaking up on Ophelia’s blind spot, away from Wirt. “Don’t grab at people; it’s rude!”

“But she looks super soft, 'Lena!” he whined as she set him on the floor. “That was the best part of being animals; how soft we felt! I just missed it and wanted to see if she felt the same way.”

“I don’t care, you can’t just reach out and snatch at people who are currently not people,” she snapped, crossing her arms as Ophelia peered around Wirt’s pant leg.

“I...I actually don’t mind,” she spoke softly, as Wirt raised his eyebrow. “I jumped away because he startled me is all. He can pet me, if he wants to.”

“Really?” Helena and Puck asked in unison, the girl tilting her head curiously to the side while Puck looked at her with wide, excited eyes.

“You sure?” Wirt asked Ophelia, who gave a short nod in return.

Puck held his palm open and she walked over to it slowly, pushing her furry face into his hand. He rubbed her head gently, giggling as he did so. “You’re even softer than we were!” He gingerly bushed her fur. “So cool!”

“C-can I pet you too?” Rosaline asked as she finally detached herself from around Benvolio’s leg. Ophelia nodded shortly and she stepped up and caressed her gently. “I think Puck is right, you are softer than we were,” she whispered as the twin boy and girl gathered around.

“I want to go next!” They both yelled in unison as Rosaline wrapped her arms around Ophelia’s neck and pulled the fox protectively to her chest.

“I should get her first, cause I’m a girl,” Viola stated proudly, as her brother pushed her aside.

“But a girl is holding her now, I should get to pet her next cause I’m the oldest out of both of us.” Sebastian stuck his nose high in the air.

“By four minutes!” Viola scoffed, placing her hands on her hips. “You will probably hurt her with those big stupid hands of yours if you try and pet her. I should go next since I have a gentle touch.”

“Shut up! My hands aren’t big!” Sebastian yelled, shoving his sibling back as Rosaline tried to scoot away from the commotion.

“Hold on a second guys-“ Helena tried to speak over the din of the children arguing, but was quickly drowned out as the kids started to surge around them. The triplets tried to intervene, but the boys just started fighting one another and started pushing each other around. A particularly hard shove made Orlando bumped into Rosaline, throwing Ophelia off her feet.

“Whoa!” Wirt, and Benvolio yelled in harmony as Ophelia darted away, weaving spryly between the few teenagers standing.

“What in the world is going on in here?” Beatrice snapped, quieting the commotion as well as ushering Ophelia behind her. The children clambered towards her, eager to explain their side of the story and have their chance to pet ‘Clementine’ next.

“It’s my turn to-“

“Lysander was-“

“They both were-“

The triplets tried to shout over each other and the twins tried to push past her to Ophelia as Beatrice exhaled, exasperated. With a sigh, she pulled her fingers to her mouth and drew out a long and loud whistle. Everyone quieted at once as they covered their ears.

“Enough you three!” Beatrice sighed, worn out by their antics, and ran a hand over her eyes. “Everyone go outside and burn off some energy while me and my guests talk to Mother and Father and try and figure out a way to help them.”  A chorus of protests arose but a quick look from Beatrice shut them all down. “Everyone out, supper will be ready shortly.”

The children groaned in protest, but moved towards the door with some gentle ushering from Helena and Benvolio, who shot Wirt one more dirty look before leaving. Greg looked forlorn towards the group of kids and Wirt gently nudged him.

“Why don’t you go out and play while we sit inside and talk about boring grownup things?” he suggested warmly to his little brother.

“Can I?!” Greg grinned and Wirt nodded in return, but by then his brother was already rushing out the door.

Beatrice shook her head as she looked after their younger siblings and turned towards Ophelia. “Sorry about that, when one of them gets too excited the whole crew goes nuts.”

“It’s okay,” Ophelia spoke quietly, sending a longing glance after them. “I’m kinda used to it, though it’s been a while since I’ve been in the situation.” Beatrice gave her a perplexed look but Ophelia didn’t notice as she trotted back towards Wirt.

“Are all the little trouble makers outside?” Beatrice’s father laughed as he sat down at the table Helena had carefully arranged. His wife followed close behind carrying the teapot.

“They better be,” Beatrice mumbled as everyone began taking their seats.

“It’s a pleasure to see you again, Wirt.” Mrs. Harper turned to Wirt as she began pouring him a cup of tea without him indicating he wanted any. “And under much better circumstances.” Her eyes flicked over to the young girl disguised as a fox who was slipping awkwardly into a seat beside him. “For the most part.”

“Yeah, no dirt this time, right?” Wirt joked, making Beatrice’s parents break out into a fit of giggles. Ophelia managed to cock her own eyebrow and shared a quick look with Beatrice, who just shook her head in a perfect representation of ‘you don’t want to know’.  

“No, no dirt, but I have plenty of cookies and tea.” Beatrice’s mother chuckled as she poured Ophelia a cup. She sniffed at it hesitantly before crinkling her nose.

“Now you have peaked my interest.” Greg seemed to appear in an instant, actually making Wirt jump and utter a small yelp as he materialized beside him. “What kind of cookies are we talking about here?”

“Thumbprints.” Mr. Harper winked as he slid the plate closer to Greg’s eager fingers. “So what exactly led to you being put in this predicament Ms...Clementine was it?”

“I think a witch in the market mistook me for someone else and cursed me to foxdome,” Ophelia answered quietly. “But her cart was gone by the time Wirt and Greg found me so we couldn’t explain the situation and get it reversed. Beatrice said you guys had experience with sort of thing and thought you might be able to help?”

“We do.” Mrs. Harper nodded while slowly using her spoon to stir her tea. “And you are more than welcome to stay for dinner and the night, if you want.”

“We would really appreciate that, right Greg?” Wirt looked to his brother who nodded enthusiastically.

“Especially if there are more cookies involved!” Greg mumbled through a mouth full of sweets.

“Then what is your next step?” Mr. Harper asked as he pulled a pipe from his pocket and began filling it.

“Liam Harper what have I told you about participating in that disgusting habit inside the house,” Mrs. Harper chastised him.

“Not to, but I didn’t get my usual smoke after work because of our unexpected guests so I’m going to enjoy it now.” He started to take a drag as his wife pulled his pipe from his fingers.

“You will finish it after tea, _dear_.” She emphasized the pet name to make it sound like a command.

“Of course, Hattie,” he grumbled as he slipped at his poor substitute for tobacco. Mr. Harper was a surprising man; his stature was small despite the active job he held. Wirt got the impression that he left more of the decision making the family to her, if just mostly to keep the peace. Wirt couldn’t help but smile, he could see a lot of their mother in Beatrice but quite a bit of their father in Ophelia. They both were good natured and welcoming, a friendly air seemed to radiate off of them both and it was obvious he was a man of simple pleasures and desires.

“Well we could try and find another witch,” Wirt mused. “A good one, of course; someone able to reverse it without kidnapping other kids for child-slaves.”

“I didn’t kidnap you,” Beatrice snorted. “You two were dumb enough to trust me in the first place and I didn’t know Adelaide wanted you for slave labor.”

“Well, I’m definitely not going to trade anyone for my cure, if I can help it.” Ophelia spoke up.

“There is no way to know what a witch will ask you for,” Mrs. Harper continued stirred her tea as she spoke. “That is what makes witches so dangerous. What they might want from you depends entirely on their mood that day.”

“I know of a witch who doesn’t live too far from here that might be able to help,” Beatrice spoke up. “Just a few days trek if you don’t run into any trouble on the way.”

“And she’s a good witch?” Greg asked as he gripped the edge of the table.

“She’s supposed to be, though I’ve never met her, I hear she mostly just comes up with simple potions for ailments when people don’t have access to a doctor so I don’t know if she can help us but she could probably lead us in the right direction.”

“So we could probably leave in the morning and get all of this sorted as quick as possible?” Wirt asked as he turned to Ophelia.

“That’s what I would prefer.” Ophelia nodded vigorously.

“Great, then we’ll get up tomorrow after breakfast and get a head start on the day.”

“What is all this ‘we’ business?” Hattie Harper spoke up.

“Well, I was gonna go with them.” Beatrice looked between her parents and her friends. “Someone has to make sure these two dorks don’t get them all killed.”

“I think not,” Beatrice’s mother stuck her nose up. “Considering your track record with witches I’m not going to let you get with in a hundred yards of her.”

“Mother!” Beatrice scoffed. “I’m not a child anymore!”

“Beatrice, darling,” her father leaned forward and patted her hand. “Maybe you should listen to your mother on this; we only have your best interests in mind.”

“So you want me to abandon my friends?” Beatrice ripped her hand away from her father’s. “And do nothing?”

“You’re not abandoning them, don’t be so dramatic dear.” Her mother sipped at her tea dismissively. “You are giving them a place to stay for the night and pointing them in the right direction. That is plenty of help considering this isn’t your problem.” Wirt and Ophelia exchanged a worried look, while Greg seemed to miss the implications of this fight as he stuffed his face with deserts.

“But mother-” Beatrice started but was silenced with a glower that could have only come from her mother.

“That is enough we are not discussing this any further.” She gazed from her daughter to Wirt and ‘Clementine’. “Tonight we are all going to enjoy a pleasant dinner together and then tomorrow morning we will pack you a nice breakfast and send you on your way. I’m so sorry you have been afflicted with this, dear, but we simply have too much to do around here to let our children run off on dangerous adventures.”

“That’s ridiculous! There is almost no more work to do around here than the winter time and both the triplets and twins are old enough to help out around-” Beatrice started but was shut down with another glare.

“My daughter,” Hattie warned while staring at Beatrice. “Is simply too invaluable to spare right now but we will help you any other way we can, is that clear?” She looked the three teenagers over carefully as they all nodded solemnly.

“We appreciate any help you are willing to give us, thank you.” Wirt tried to smile pleasantly, but the gesture felt flat and fake on his face. A quick worried glance to Ophelia confirmed his fears; what were they going to do if Beatrice couldn’t come with them? How were they going to save her from the Unknown? 

 

.::~::.

 

Wirt was shaken awake with a face hovering just inches from his own in the pitch black darkness of the den. He started to yelp just as a hand clamped over his mouth and he was silenced. 

“Cheese and crackers, Wirt! Keep quiet or you’ll wake the whole house!” she hissed through her teeth. After a moment, his eyes adjusted to the gloom and he was finally able to see Beatrice. She had her long hair pulled back into a low knot at the base of her neck and was glaring at him intently.

“What are you doing?!” Wirt tried to whisper but it came out as more of a shout. “I thought you were an escaped lunatic or an ax murderer or something.”

“I will murder you if you don’t keep it down.” Beatrice glowered at him. “We have to get out of here before my parents wake up or I won’t be able to go with you guys.”

“You’re coming with us?” Wirt gasped as he sat up.

“If we hurry, yes!” She rolled her eyes before quietly waking Greg and Ophelia. “Head on out and I’ll meet you guys in just a minute.”

Wirt nodded as he helped Greg slip into his shoes and Ophelia stretched her back. The house was dark and silent, something Wirt suspected it rarely was. The barest minimum of dawn could be seen peeking from over the horizon as they gathered their few belongings quickly and exited. They sat on the porch, Greg and Ophelia still trying to shake the drowsiness off as the river babbled beside them. Wirt watched the old waterwheel turn dutifully. The morning was peaceful and with everyone still trying to wake up, Wirt enjoyed the quiet moment. After a few minutes, Beatrice slipped out of the house, catching the door behind her to make sure it didn’t slam.

“Are you sure about this?” Wirt asked as he stood up, dusting off the seat of his pants. “Your parents are going to worry.”

“I left a note promising to come back as soon as we helped Clementine or if I get in trouble. I’m an adult so they can’t really tell me what to do anymore.”

“Is that why we’re sneaking out before dawn?” Wirt smirked, earning a withering glare from Beatrice. When it didn’t work at intimidating him, she shouldered her backpack and headed towards the footpath in the woods.

“No, it’s cause I’m wearing breeches. My mother would have a heart attack if she knew I was going out in public in these.” She motioned to her whole ensemble; a pair of riding pants she had tucked into a pair of boots with a long sleeved white blouse. “These are strictly chore clothes but if we get into half the shenanigans we did last time I’m going to want to be comfortable.”

“Oh,” Wirt grew thoughtful a moment. “I didn’t know the dress etiquette was so restrictive here.”

“It’s cause you’re a guy,” Ophelia yawned as she spoke for the first time that morning. “When I came the first time I got so much grief for what I was wearing, it’s why I made sure I at least wore a skirt this time. Lot of fat good did me.” She huffed and fell quiet again.

They spent the first hour of the walk in relative silence. The birds were just starting to chirp as they made their way down the path. And as the sounds of the forest stirred around them, Greg finally did too and soon his groans drowned out all other noise.

“Wiiiiiiiiiiiirt, I’m starving!” he whined. “Why didn’t we grab something to eat?”

“We’ll find something soon, Greg.” Beatrice grinned through gritted teeth.  This was the only topic of conversation they had been having for the past twenty minutes and she was growing tired of it. “And I promise we’ll eat breakfast when we do.”

“You didn’t grab anything from your house?” Wirt asked as Beatrice turned on him, annoyed.

“I forgot to yes, but _you_ didn’t get anything either,” she snapped.

“It might not take that long to get something to eat.” Ophelia turned around and looked back down the path they had been traveling.

“Why?” Wirt asked as they all drew to a stop.

“We have some tagalongs.” Ophelia nodded behind them and everyone turned just as two shadows slipped behind the trees.

“Hey! Who’s there!” Beatrice called, pulling her pack forward and rifling around inside for a moment.

“Come on out, we won’t hurt you!” Wirt called as Beatrice pulled a large hunting knife out of her bag. “Ohmygodwheredidyougetthat?!?” His words tumbled out as he jumped back in surprise.

“My dad gave it to me for protection.” Beatrice casually unsheathed the blade and started to stalk down the path. “Come on out and I won’t have to use it!”

“Hey whoa Beatrice relax!” Benvolio shot out from behind a tree with his hands held high. “It’s just us!”

“Who’s us?” Beatrice growled as she continued forward and brought the knife a little bit higher. Helena slowly slipped out from behind and raised a hand in hesitant greeting. Beatrice stopped and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath and finally putting away the knife, slipping the sheath on to her belt. “Why are you two here?”

“We weren’t going to let you sneak off by yourself.” Benvolio rolled his eyes. “Not after what happened last time.”

“We just want to make sure you come back home.” Helena stepped forward and took her sister’s hand in her own. “Also you couldn’t sneak out to save your life, I heard you the moment you tripped putting your shoes on in the dark.”

“Look guys this could be dangerous, you can’t come with us.” Beatrice shook her head. “Mom and Dad will have a bird.”

“Which is so much better than them being ones, right?” Wirt snickered from behind her, making Beatrice turn the glare on him instead, so he snapped his mouth shut.

“Look, I’m the oldest boy in our family so I have to come with you.” Benvolio puffed out his chest to make himself seem larger.

“Why?” Beatrice and Ophelia asked in unison with the same hint of irritation.

“Because you need protection?” He gave an exasperated sigh.

“Think I got that covered.” Beatrice pointed to the large knife at her side.

“Well then to escort you!” Benvolio threw his hands up in the air. “I’m not gonna let you go traipsing around in the woods with a boy we hardly know.”

“Ok first off I’m an adult and you have absolutely zero say in where I go and who I go with-” Beatrice stalked towards her younger brother, finger pointed accusingly, before Helena slipped between them with a pleasant smile.

“Benny is just trying to say that he’s worried about you, and we want to come with you to help Clementine. The Unknown is a dangerous place and the more people there are the less likely it is that anything icky can sneak up on us, right?” Helena slipped her arm into the crook of her sister’s elbow and gently lead Beatrice away from their brother. “Besides, who’s gonna make sure you guys are eating properly?” Helena added.

“I can cook for us,” Beatrice mumbled as she calmed down.

“Bea, I love you, but you are a terrible cook. You didn’t even bring any supplies with you.” Helena shook her head as Beatrice tried to counter, but couldn’t actually argue. “Speaking of which, I brought some cheese and bread for us to snack on for breakfast so we can keep moving.”

Greg rushed to her side, taking her hands in his own. “I don’t know you but I think I love you. We’re starving.”

“We’re not starving Greg, you ate a huge dinner last night,” Ophelia chided him.

“Well, it feels like I am!” Greg whined, making everyone break out into laughter. After the giggles subsided, Helena turned her award winning smile back to her sister.

Beatrice rolled her eyes. “Fine, but only because I know I couldn’t really make you go back even if I tried. You’re both almost adults and I was younger than you when I got us into the whole mess with Adelaide.” Benvolio let out a small ‘woop’ of triumph and his hand met Helena’s for a high five. “But remember I’m in charge here, so you guys have to listen to me.”

“Yeah, yeah, we know.” Benvolio brushed her off as he began to lead the way. “Let’s get going; we’re burning daylight.”

Through their travels Wirt was able to gather that after Beatrice- and Ophelia- Benvolio and Helena were the next oldest. He was slightly unsettled to find he was right in his original assessment of Benvolio and that the boy really was just sixteen and already half a head taller than Wirt. It also didn’t help that because he helped their father at the mill, he was much more muscular and tougher than his own wiry frame. Helena seemed to be his complete opposite though. Her thin,petite frame and wavy strawberry blonde hair was a stark contrast to his auburn head- the same color as Ophelia’s. And at just fifteen she was already a skilled cook and baker and did most of it for the household.

He wasn’t quite sure why Helena wanted to come along. Benvolio did really seem intent on protecting his sisters but Helena just seemed to want to tag along for fun. She kept asking a variety of questions about themselves as they walked.

“Will you tell us more about your world?” Helena asked after they had traveled on for a few more hours. The sun was high in the sky and the day was shaping up to be a beautiful one. They had decided to rest for lunch and were sitting beside a quietly babbling river. “It all seems so interesting.”

“What do you want to know?” Wirt asked as he nervously picked at his bread, a loaf Helena had baked herself.

“Everything! Like your fashion and the cities and the food!” She laughed, a clear sound that rang out beautifully.  “We’ve never left our little section of the woods so the outside world fascinates me.”

“Why would we ever need to leave when we have everything we want right here?” Benvolio grumbled as he chewed on his sandwich. “We have a great house, lots of family and tons of work to do at the mill; what more could you want?”

“To see the world maybe,” Beatrice snorted as she sharpened her knife. “Explore far unseen lands, have adventures beyond your wildest imagination?”

“I don’t know about all that,” Helena chuckled. “But I would like to try different styles of food and see other types of clothing. Think about how nice it would be to wear fancy clothing and strut around a big city with an army of boys chasing after your hand in marriage.” She sighed happily as Benvolio rolled his eyes.

“That literally sounds like my nightmare,” he groaned. “The last thing I want is for you to get swept up by some mysterious city boy and spirited away from us.”

“Oh hush Benny, it’s just a dream.” She playfully smacked his arm. “I know that I’m gonna marry some farmer or blacksmith or the like and settle down and have ten kids just like mom and dad.” She looked down at her hands and pulled at the crust of her sandwich. “But every once in a while I like to pretend that isn’t going to be my life and there might be something more exciting out there for me.”

“It doesn’t have to be.” Beatrice sat up and stared at her sister. “You don’t have to do the expected thing and get married and have fifty thousand kids if you don’t want. I’m not going to, if I can help it.”

“Is that why you refuse to be courted?” Wirt asked quietly. “What else would you like to do?”

“I don’t know,” Beatrice sighed and threw her hands up in the air. “I haven’t really thought it out much more than that; I just know I don’t want to marry some dumb farm boy and live the rest of my life here.”

“Yeah, that’s the reason you aren’t being courted.” Benvolio snorted. “And certainly not because no boy will have you.” He ducked out of the way as both his sisters moved to smack him.

“The point is,” Beatrice pushed on after giving her brother a scowl, “I’m not going to stick around here forever and neither do you, Helena.”

“Well, I’m perfectly happy here.” Benvolio grumbled as he crossed his arms. “I don’t need any crazy adventures or faraway places to be happy.”

“Well, I’m glad your limited imagination is sufficient to satisfy your pedestrian needs.” Helena winked to Beatrice as Benvolio beamed.

“Thank you.” He smiled proudly, and the girls snicker behind their hands.

“We need to get moving if we want to get to the witch any time soon.” Ophelia suddenly stood up.

“You’re right.” Beatrice sighed and began gathering their things. “We still have a lot of land to cover before we can rest for the night.”

“And where are we going to stay tonight?” Greg asked as Wirt helped him back into his cloak. “Are we camping out?”

“Probably.” Benvolio stretched his arms far above his head. “If we’re lucky we might come upon a barn that a farmer might let us sleep in, but we’re most likely going to be sleeping outside tonight.”

“Ugh, I hate camping out.” Wirt shivered. As they walked on, he noticed Ophelia hanging back and slowed down to join her. “Hey, is everything alright?”

“Yeah.” She shook her head dismissively. “It’s just... _weird_ is all, ya’ know?”

“What, being here with them?” Wirt asked as he gazed up to her family happily walking in front of them. They were all busy teasing each other and seemed to be enjoying the day.  “I know seeing your family again after so long is probably strange, but I think you will start enjoying the time you have with them soon, ya know?” He beamed down at the fox, but Ophelia had a far-off look in her eye that made his grin drop. 

“Yeah, maybe.” Ophelia shook her head, like she was trying to get rid of a chill, and trotted ahead. Wirt watched her rejoin Greg’s side as she looked over her family cautiously.

Beatrice turned to look at his little brother when her eye caught Wirt’s and she winked at him. “Hey, what are you doing back there?” she called back, laughter at the edge of her voice.

“Just thinking!” Wirt called forward as he dashed to catch back up to them.

“Composing poetry or something?” She smirked as he walked up beside her.

“No, though this place is like the perfect muse to make some really great sonnets that Frost would love.”

“Well, save it for later, Helena is still dying to know more about your world and I’m not entirely sure Greg is giving us an accurate description of it.” Beatrice looked down to the younger brother who was currently pouting.

“Well, maybe I tell a better version of it,” Greg mumbled, making everyone snicker. Wirt fondly ruffled his brother’s hair as he answered a variety of questions thrown his way. He tried to encourage Ophelia to jump into the conversation and little by little she opened up to the group as they traveled on.


	4. Hotel Unknown

“Is it dinner time yet?” Greg asked as he shuffled his feet. The day was growing dark and cool, the sun had been swallowed up by grey clouds hours ago. The humidity in the air was starting to make their clothes damp as the occasional roll of thunder was heard far off in the distance. “I’m starving,” he groaned in unison with his stomach.

“We’ll stop soon Greg,” Wirt tried to reassure him.  “We’re just trying to find someplace to stop for the night.”

“Well can we find one faster?” Greg grumbled under his breath. He was dragging his feet as he walked and fell behind the rest of the group. 

Wirt slowed down to join him. “Everything alright, Greg?” Wirt asked, tilting his head to the side.

“Yeah, we’re all just peachy,” he mumbled, refusing to look at Wirt. 

“Huh?” Wirt furrowed his brows. “What does that mean?”

“Nothing; it doesn’t matter.” Greg sighed, walking faster to get away from Wirt. “At least not to you.” 

Wirt stood back a moment, shocked, before running ahead. “Hey hold on, wait a minute. What’s going on?” he asked, grabbing Greg’s shoulder to slow his gait. 

“It’s nothing, sorry.” Greg shook his head. “I guess I’m just getting snappy cause I’m hungry. At least that’s what mom always says.”

“You sure that’s it?” Wirt watched his little brother cautiously, placing his hand on Greg’s shoulder. 

“Yeah, we’re good.” Greg shrugged him off, still refusing to look at him. “Don’t worry about it.”

Wirt let him pull away this time, watching him a moment before shaking his head. Greg had never been shy about hiding his feelings before; if something was really bothering him, he would tell Wirt eventually. But Wirt still watched a moment longer, forehead creased, before speaking. “It’s starting to get pretty late,” he spoke out to the rest of the group after giving his brother one last, worried look. 

“Yeah,” Beatrice agreed as she looked up. “I was hoping to hit another town or farm before it got too late but I think we’re out of luck and will be staying out here tonight.”

“Well, that won’t be so bad.” Greg skipped ahead of them. “Maybe it will even be kind of fun!” It seemed like Wirt had nothing to worry about, Greg was already acting like his normal self again.

“If the weather holds up.” Benvolio glared up to the overcast sky. “If it starts raining, I don’t know what we’ll do.”

“Ugh please don’t jinx us.” Helena shivered and shook her head. “Just thinking about all that humidity is making my hair curl.”

“Well, unless something changes around the next bend or two, I think we’re going to have to risk it.” Beatrice sighed as a flash of lighting shot across the sky, making them all freeze in place.

“Oh no,” Wirt mumbled as Benvolio counted the seconds in between the flash and the roll of thunder that followed.

“It sounds like we’re about five miles from the storm. It might miss us if we’re lucky.”

“And if we’re not?” Helena grabbed at her beautiful locks and Ophelia stuck her snout in the air and sniffed.

“Uh oh.” her nose twitched and she pulled her ears back as the first few drops of rain began to fall. “How sure are you about that, Benny?” Another crack of lighting struck much closer and with the roll of thunder came the rain. The group broke out into a run as it began to pour down on them, soaking their clothes in a matter of minutes. “We can’t stay out here!” Ophelia shouted over the din of the storm.

“Well, no duh!” Beatrice snapped back as they ran on. “Be on the lookout for a cave or hollow tree we can climb into!”

“What’s that?” Wirt asked as a small light appeared around the bend of the path ahead. They ran forward, it growing as they moved closer, and turned the corner to reveal a large, multi-storied brick building that seemed to appear from thin air.

“Oh thank the heavens!” Helena sighed as they ran forward- barely sparring it a second glance- into safety. Once inside, she began wringing out her hair as she looked around. “What is this place?”

The room they had barely paid attention to as they rushed in appeared to be a large lobby. Lush and ornate carpet covered the floor and a humongous fire roared in the fireplace on the opposite wall. Lounging sofas of various sizes were spread out around the large room, inviting its guest to relax and enjoy their stay. A large oaken desk stood across from them. Behind it hung a board filled with hooks and row after row of keys.

“I think this is a hotel,” Wirt marveled as they examined the room in amazement. “Though what it’s doing out here in the middle of nowhere is beyond me.”

“Heeellloo!” A cheerful voice called, startling them all out of their astonishment. 

An older man suddenly appeared behind the long wooden counter. He wore a nice suit, bowtie, and a friendly smile as he beckoned the group of kids towards him. His gray hair was pushed back neatly from his face and a perfectly styled mustache was perched upon his upper lip. “Do you have a reservation?”

“Uh, no we don’t.” Beatrice stepped forward and led the others towards the desk. A metal nameplate displaying the name ‘Hudson’ sat upon it. “We just ducked in here to get out of the rain.”

“Hmm, we usually don’t accept walk-ins.” The man they assumed was Hudson turned to a large ledger laying in front of him and lazily flipped through the pages. “But it looks like we might have a few rooms available for tonight.”

“We’ll take them!” Greg piped up while slapping the desk for emphasis, trying to seem important even though his eyes barely crested the top.

“Hold on, Greg,” Wirt chided him as he gently removed Greg’s hand from the counter. “How much would it cost?”

“We’ll worry about those details in the morning,” Hudson answered flippantly while plucking a small silver bell off the desk. “Given the circumstances I’m hardly going to send you all back out into the rain. We’ll work out something that fits your particular...budget in the morning.”

“That sounds wonderful, thank you.” Helena breathed a sigh of relief as Wirt and Beatrice exchanged a worried look.

“Are you sure?” Beatrice asked as the man gave the bell a short ring.

“Oh course.” He smiled as an elevator opened to his right, revealing a beaming, young bellhop. “Ashley here will show you to your rooms, you may freshen up before dinner if you wish. It will be served promptly at half past seven.” 

It was an older style of elevator, one that was controlled with a crank and had a manual gate that had to be locked behind them. The kids all exchanged a look before shrugging and heading towards the elevator. They stepped inside as the bellhop closed the gate behind them. His smile never wavered as they started their ascent. He seemed fairly young- probably just out of his teen years- with fair hair and complexion. 

“Sooooo,” Benvolio broke the long silence. “What’s this place’s deal?”

“It’s an inn,” the bellhop answered without even glancing his way or dropping his smile. “I would have thought that was obvious.”

“Well, yeah, but what is a place like this doing out here in the middle of nowhere?” Benvolio snapped, crossing his arms in a huff.

“We provide safe lodging and food for the weary.” Ashley’s gaze remained fixed on the gate. “Like you.” The elevator dinged as they passed each floor. On the fifth ding, it stopped and he reached forward to open the door. “Let me show you to your rooms.”

They stepped out and he led the way down the long hallway. Much like in the lobby, a lush carpet covered the floor and the walls were adorned with a variety of lovely paintings.

“This place is bigger than any inn I’ve ever been to.” Beatrice snorted as they walked past several paintings displaying perfectly pastoral landscapes of the countryside that looked like they could have come straight from Thomas Kinkade himself.

“This place belongs in a city.” Helena looked around in wonder. “Not out here in of the woods.”

“We’re filling a particular niche,” Ashley spoke without turning as he led them on. For a moment Wirt thought he might have heard the bellhop’s tone change for just a second, but his perky attitude was back in an instant. “These are your rooms! Boys to the left, girls to the right and there is a washroom at the end of the hall.” He placed one foot behind the other and leaned into a deep bow. “I hope you all enjoy your stay with us.” And with that, he turned on his heel and left.

“Oh, thank heavens, I’m about to collapse!” Helena gushed as she rushed past everyone else into her room.

Beatrice rolled her eyes, but followed as she turned back to the boys. “I guess we’re going to freshen up and we’ll meet you guys for dinner in a bit.”

“O-oh okay,” Wirt answered as Greg and Benvolio headed into their own room. He spared a glance back at Ophelia who was staring intently at the gold plate on her door.

“6013,” she muttered under her breath, barely loud enough to hear. “Of course it’s 6013.”

 

.::~::.

 

Promptly at half past the hour, the boys came down the elevator to see the girls already waiting in the lobby for them. Helena was busy warming herself by the fire as Beatrice and Ophelia wandered around the room. Ashley kept his constant smile as he held the gate open, directing them towards the dining room down the hall before he closed the door. Greg led the way as they walked into the large, but empty room. All the tables were set and candles lit, but not another patron graced the hall as the group sat down at one of the long tables.

“I thought this place was almost full,” Benvolio mumbled as he slid into his seat.

“Maybe everyone else is eating later?” Helena offered hopefully.

“Does anything feel... _ off _ to anyone else?” Ophelia asked as she jumped up into the seat Wirt pulled out for her.

As if on cue, Hudson from the front desk appeared, now dressed in a waiter’s uniform. “Good evening.” He smirked as he began pulling the napkins from their plates and placing them on their laps. “Tonight we are starting out with an arugula and asparagus salad paired with a lovely mushroom and leek soup, followed by grilled trout with a cream sauce as the main entrée and finally finish with a wonderful fruit and cheese plate for desert.”

“That sounds great, but do you guys have chicken tenders?” Greg asked eagerly as Hudson stopped mid-motion.

“Chicken tenders?” he repeated as he clenched Greg’s napkin in his fist.

“He’s kidding,” Wirt quickly jumped in. “Leek and mushroom soup sounds great.” He shot his little brother a warning look as Greg returned it with a glare of his own.

“Ah a jest, excellent. Ms. Avery will be out shortly to get your drink orders; bon appétit.” His grin actually seemed to increase more as he slipped from the room and into what they assumed was the kitchen.

“What was that about?” Greg huffed. “All that sounds super gross.”

“It does not and because I have a bad feeling about this place.” Wirt reached out to gently squeeze Greg’s shoulder, but was brushed off again. It seemed that Greg wasn’t really over whatever was upsetting him. “I don’t want to cause any problems. Let’s get some rest and get out of here first thing in the morning.”

“I second that.” Beatrice leaned over the table and kept her voice low. “I think we should stick together and see if we can’t slip out without them noticing us.”

“You mean without paying?” Wirt gasped as Beatrice motioned for him to keep his voice down.

“Yes, this place is giving me the heebie geebies and we’re not even sure what that creepy guy meant by ‘settling the bill in the morning’. I want to be as far away from this hotel as soon as possible before we find out.”

“I agree, something is seriously wrong with this hotel,” Ophelia added as she looked around the room. “I mean where are all the other guests or workers? I haven’t seen any other people besides us and those two guys. I say we eat, get some rest, get up at daybreak and sneak out of here before they know we’re gone.”

“I think you’re all overreacting.” Helena crossed her arms in a huff and sulked down into her seat. “These people all seem nice and friendly to me.”

“I think the opportunity to stay in a fancy hotel is getting to your head.” Benvolio snorted and leaned over to tap her forehead for emphasis.

“There is nothing wrong with enjoying the finer things in life, Benny.” Helena stuck her tongue out at her older brother and swatted his hand away.

“Well, the point is moot because we are still leaving first thing in the morning,” Beatrice stated in a way that made it obvious it was not up for discussion. A motherly looking woman wearing a long black dress with an extensive petticoat exited the kitchen carrying a large pitcher of water and Beatrice dropped her voice to a whisper. “Until then everyone act natural and calm.”

“Good evening!” she cheerfully called out as she glided over to them and began filling their glasses. “I assume all of you are having a lovely stay with us?” The kids quietly agreed as she beamed. “Excellent! What may I get you to drink tonight?”

“May we see your wine list?” Ophelia piped up, making everyone slowly turn to her in shock, except for Ms. Avery.

“Of course! I’ll be right back.” She quickly finished and returned to the kitchen in a bustle of skirts. The woman seemed to danced as she moved across the room, rather than just walking.

“You’re going to get wine?” Beatrice asked, incredulous.

“You said to act natural,” Ophelia countered with a huff and as close to a shrug as she could manage.

“And you drinking wine is natural?” Wirt asked in disbelief.

“Listen I’ve never been a fox in a creepy-murder hotel before, there is not a natural for this situation!” Ophelia’s voice rose sharply and she was quickly shushed as Ms. Avery swept back into the room.

“Here is the list for you darling,” she trilled the last word as she presented the paper to Ophelia, who looked over it for exactly fifteen seconds before shaking her head.

“I was hoping you might have a nice rosé, but it doesn’t look like you do.” Her tail flipped nervously as Ms. Avery took the paper back.

“I’m sorry to disappoint,” she answered dismissively. “The appetizer should be out shortly, dears.” She turned and quickly retreated to the kitchen again.

"There, happy?" Ophelia snapped.

"No." Wirt rubbed his temples. "Now it just seem suspicious."

"I promise nothing we're doing is anymore suspicious than these creepy people," Ophelia muttered with annoyance.

"Look," Benvolio leaned forward. "Let's just get through this dinner, go to bed and get out of here in the morning."

"I don't know why all of you refuse to just enjoy this." Helena rolled her eyes and leaned her elbow on the table. "I doubt we're gonna stay anywhere else this nice on our little trip so we might as well try and enjoy this as long as we can. Can't we just put all our worry and distrust aside, least for dinner?"

"Fine," Beatrice conceded as she rolled her eyes.  "But at the first sign of something fishy we're out of here."

"Deal!" Helena squealed happily as Ms. Avery and Hudson came back carrying trays filled with aromatic soup and fresh salad. “Now let's all relax and enjoy some much needed culture."

 

.::~::.

 

Dinner went relatively smoothly, no one had anymore strange outbursts and the food wasn't actually bad, despite Greg's near refusal to even try anything. Afterwards they all quickly retired to their separate rooms, determined to get some rest before they tried to sneak out. In room 6013 Helena and Beatrice were climbing into bed as Ophelia jumped up into the armchair in the corner of the room and spun into a comfortable circle.

"We can make room for you up here, if you would like, Clementine," Helena offered as she slipped under the covers. "There is plenty of it at the foot of the bed."

"No thanks," Ophelia peered through half-opened lids. "It would feel a little too much like I'm a pet if I did that."

"Oh!" Helena blushed and pulled the quilt up to her nose. "I-i didn't mean it like that!"

"I know." Ophelia stuck her nose under the tip of her tail. "I just want to try and retain as much of my humanity as I can."

"You're different than how Wirt described you," Beatrice suddenly spoke, causing Ophelia to lift her head with a jolt and pulled her ears back.

"What did he tell you about me?" She tried to sound casual, but couldn't stop a hint of panic slipping into her voice.

"He described you as 'energetic', even said it was 'one of your most defining qualities'," Beatrice sat back against her pillow. "But you've seemed really reserved the whole time I've known you."

"Oh." Ophelia relaxed and settled back down into the chair. "Sorry, still trying to wrap my head around this whole situation, I guess. I didn't mean to come off as rude, though."

"It's okay, we understand." Helena smiled warmly. "I would probably not be acting like myself either if I was suddenly turned into a forest animal again."

"Yeah." Ophelia readjusted herself. "That's really got me freaked out."

"It's also probably hard being back in this world," Beatrice added. "You did say you've been here before, right?"

"Yeah, though this trip is going a lot better, no one's tried to steal my bones and I was ready for the Conductor this time." Ophelia snickered a moment before she noticed how both Beatrice and Helena paled. "Are you guys okay?"

"W-what did you just say?" Helena gasped as she clutched the blanket to her chest.

"I was ready for the Conduct-"

"Don't say its name!" Beatrice quickly hushed her and jumped out of bed to extinguish the lamp.

The room fell into darkness as Ophelia tilted her head in confusion. Only the extremely dim light of the moon shining through the gossamer curtains provided any light. But even with the lamp out, Ophelia could easily see Beatrice struggle to navigate back to the bed. She figured having better night vision was one of the perks of being a fox. "Why not? What  _ is  _ it?"

"They call it 'The One who Takes' and 'The Great Collector," Beatrice explained in a quiet whisper. "And that the train can be called by just speaking its name. Even in places with no tracks for it to travel."

"They say if its train comes for you that you're never seen again," Helena joined in after a moment.

"It's a monster, like the Beast was," Beatrice continued as Helena slowly reached out her hand and gripped her sister's tightly. "It goes around collecting souls for the train, though no one is really sure why."

"I heard it uses them to power it." Helena shivered as Beatrice gently patted her hand. "And if you hear that ghostly whistle blowing there is no use running, cause it always catches up to its prey."

"This sounds more like a ghost story told around a campfire." Ophelia shook her head. "I've run into it twice and it never chased after me before. I mean don't get me wrong though, the gigantic faceless eight foot monster is still freakin' terrifying."

"Then consider yourself lucky, Clem," Helena whispered as Ophelia watched her cross herself in the dark, reminding Ophelia of their Catholic roots. "Cause that's one creature that I would never want to meet."

"Ugh, I'm getting freaked out just thinking about this." Beatrice shook her head like she was trying to rid herself of a bad dream. "I'm going to bed before I give myself nightmares." She rolled over on her side and pulled the quilt to her chin. "Night Helena, night Clementine."

"Sleep tight girls." Helena yawned as she slipped under the covers.

"Yeah, night." Ophelia watched them carefully before she looked hesitantly towards the windows. The tree branches swayed slowly in the wind, casting shadows across the floor. As the wind forced its way through the cracks in the panes, an almost indecipherable whistling resulted that sounded eerily like a train's. For a moment, two branches crossed paths and look remarkably like long, dark fingers reaching for Ophelia in her chair. She gulped quietly as they slid away and did a quick turn in the chair to make her back face the window. Watching any longer was just gonna freak her out and they had an early morning ahead. After a few minutes, she fell into restless sleep as thoughts of a tall faceless creatures seeped into her dreams.

 

.::~::.

 

_ She was human again, dressed in the clothes she had come to the Unknown in with Wirt, but now missing her shoes. She didn't remember losing them but that didn't really matter at the moment. All the matter was her escaping from  _ Them _. She ran through the trees, which were now dead and covered with snow. This was wrong for some reason but she didn't know why. Branches snagged at her hair and skirt and roots reached up to make her stumble, but she ran on. _

_ She looked back momentarily, catching just a glimpse of the creatures that stalked her and their slow lurching forms renewed her resolve to run faster. Just as she faced forward, however, at stump appeared on the path before her, seemingly out of nowhere. She successfully leaped over it, but her foot hit a rock and slipped, causing her to tumble to the ground. Pain radiated from her ankle in a way that could only indicate that she had sprained it. And in the few moments that all this transpired, they were on top of her. _

_ The rotting corpses descended on her prone form with a speed that deceived their frail forms. Ragged claws and gnashing teeth ripped and tore at her clothes and flesh as the moonlight illuminated the decomposing faces of her family. All thirteen members of the Harper family were reunited as they descended on her. _

_ "No!" Ophelia screamed in futile protest as they lunged at her, silencing her forevermore.  _

 

.::~::.

 

A horribly shrill scream cut through her dream, ripping her out if its grasps as it echoed down the hall. In a moment both Ophelia and Beatrice were on their feet.

"What was that!?" Beatrice gasped as she struggled to reignite the oil lamp on the bedside table.

Ophelia started to answer but her unsure reply was caught in her throat as she looked to the bed. "Where is Helena?"

Beatrice managed to light the lamp and both of their questions were answered as she swept it around to reveal the younger Harper sister was missing.

"Oh my god." Beatrice rushed for the door with Ophelia close on her heels as she slung it open and they scrambled into the hall. Across from them, the boy's door swung open and all three tumbled out in such a rush that Benvolio and Wirt were still shirtless. Beatrice looked them both over quickly, before turning her head to the side. “Where are your shirts?”

“We didn’t have time to grab them,” Wirt grumbling, blushing a deep shade of crimson. “We thought there might be a fire or-”

"What's that noise?" Greg asked at the same time Ophelia said: "Helena's gone."

"What direction?" Benvolio asked as he looked up and down the hall frantically.

"This way, away from the elevators," Ophelia answered as she began sprinting down the hall. They arrived at the end where it branched out, one wing to the left and one to the right. Ophelia sniffed the air, looking frantically between the two wings. "But I'm not sure where to go from here."

"We'll split up then," Beatrice held the lamp close as she pointed down the hall. "Boys you go that way and me and Clementine with will try this way."

"No way." Benvolio and Wirt answered in unison.

"I don't like splitting up when we don't know what's going on." Benvolio shook his head.

"Me either but we don't have much of a choice if we want to find Helena.” Beatrice shrugged as she started down her hallway. "Meet back up in an hour if you haven't found anything, otherwise stay together." She called back as Ophelia and her began their search.

"Come on," Greg encouraged Benvolio with a squeeze on the arm. "Those two can definitely handle anything they run into on their own. Let's go find your sister and get out of here, ASAP." 

With a grunt of disapproval, Benvolio allowed himself to be turned and the boys started their own search as they rushed away.

 

.::~::.

 

After initially splitting up, the girls slowed down their frantic pace to allow Clementine to search more thoroughly. She kept her nose to the carpet as she sniffed around trying to gather a scent of Helena.

"Any luck?" Beatrice asked as they moved down the dark hall together. She used the lamp to illuminate their way, and though she figured the fox didn't really need it, she was grateful she had thought to grab it in her panic.

"Not yet but it's a little difficult," Clementine answered remorsefully. "You guys have a pretty similar smell so I keep thinking I have her when it's really just you."

"Geez, thanks for telling me I smell." Beatrice deadpanned as the vixen looked up to her, worried. 

"I-I didn't m-mean it like that!" she yipped anxiously as Beatrice just smirked.

"Yeah I know, sorry. I was trying to lighten the mood." Beatrice snorted, but her face dropped. "Can I ask you a question, Clementine?"

“Sure?” The fox became nervous as she looked up to her.

"Why don't you like me?" Beatrice asked, catching her off guard.

"I like you!" Clementine answered quickly. "Sorry, I'm still just adjusting to everything and it's taking me a while to get back to my old self-"

"Then why are you lying to me?" Beatrice's stare grew cold as Clementine froze in place.

"W-what?" she breathed out as her tail swished back and forth quickly.

“Why are you really here?” Beatrice’s glare narrowed as she stared down at Clementine.

“I told you; to find a way to reverse this curse on me,” Clementine answered defensively.

“I'm not talking about that." Beatrice shook her head in frustration, causing her shadow to move erratically across the walls. "Why did you come back to the Unknown; why are you really here?” Beatrice gave her an untrusting look as Ophelia’s ears began to twitch.

“T-to help Wirt find Greg!” she answered, looking away as she tried to slide away. “He came here in an impulsive move to see you and we had to follow him-”

“And why did  _ you _ have to come.” Beatrice stepped forward, making Clementine step back. “You said that coming here was one of the worst experiences of your life, why come back?”

“Cause it’s Wirt and Greg,” she answered simply, finally stopping to look Beatrice in the eye. “I...I don’t have a lot of family back in our world and they have done so much to make me feel welcomed and loved that I would do anything for them, even come back to a place that sent me to the loony bin. I mean they’re worth it.”

Everything seemed to stop as Beatrice watched her quietly for a moment. After a while, she hummed and moved to continue on. “Okay, just wondering.” She brushed past Clementine, taking the lead. She thought about dropping the subject there but after a few steps, she stopped and turned back to her. “I know you’re not being completely honest with me.” The fox immediately tensed up. “But that’s alright. I don’t know what secrets you’re hiding but if Wirt trusts you to keep them, then so do I.” Clementine relaxed but cowered away as Beatrice suddenly closed the gap between them. “But that’s only as long as it’s nothing that can harm my family, you got it? At the first sign of trouble you’re coming clean, okay?”

“Y-yeah.” Ophelia shrunk down to the floor. “I understand.”

“Great.” Beatrice straightened up, turning away. “Let’s get going, we have a lot of ground to cover if we’re going to find Helena.” Ophelia dutifully followed, tail tucked between her legs as they continued on their search.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update guys but it's for good reason. My laptop's GPU is dying and it would be more of a hassle to replace it rather than just get a new computer. :<
> 
> Good news bad news: my fiance is letting me use his laptop till I can build a new one, unfortunately it's gonna be a few weeks till I can get it, though. After out wedding I plan on getting serious about making a desktop and building it myself, unfortunately it's just not in the budget at this time. BUT once I get his old laptop and I don't have to use the tv screen as my monitor, I can get serious about writing this story again. 
> 
> Consider this a semi-hiatus, I'm gonna be using this time to flesh out some story bits and get some later scenes down, but I'm just not going to be able to upload any new chapters at this time. I love you guys and I'm always so appreciative of all the comments and kudos you leave! I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and I'll see you guys again in a few weeks.


	5. Of Brothers and Ballrooms

**** While the girls had the lamp to light their way, the boys had neglected to grab their own, and were now paying the price. They stumbled through the darkness in the dimly lit hallways, only the windows at the far end of each providing a small oasis of light before splitting off into an even more confusing maze of passageways. 

“Ow!” Benvolio yelled after one of them had bumped into him for the umpteenth time. “Watch where you’re going!”

“Sorry!” Wirt fretted as he stepped back. “I’m not meaning to, I just can’t see. I should have grabbed a lamp or something before we left the room.”

“And your shirts.” Greg snickered as Wirt felt his face redden. “Though I think Beatrice got a good look at you so maybe this will turn out in your favor,” he teased, making Wirt groan and Benvolio shoot him a venomous look. 

“See this is exactly why I wasn’t going to let you go running off into the woods with my sister,” Benvolio growled as he shoved his finger painfully into Wirt’s chest. “I could see your true intentions from a mile away.”

“This wasn’t my plan!” Wirt’s voice cracked and he had to clear his throat to compose himself. “I’m just trying to help my friend.” 

“Yeah well, you keep focusing on that and stay away from my family.” Benvolio’s glower was able to cut through the dim light. “You would never make her happy anyways, I mean look at you. You’re meek and timid.” Wirt froze in place as his breath caught in his throat. “You’ll never be able to take care of her, not like she deserves.” Benvolio pushed ahead, leaving Wirt and Greg behind. 

“Yikes,” Greg sucked air in through his teeth. “Bad start with the in-laws.”

Wirt turned to his little brother, irritation heavy in his voice. “Thanks for the support there. Really, it’s nice to know that you have my back in these types of situations.”

Greg was still for a long moment, the darkness hiding him from Wirt’s view. “Well, maybe he’s right. If you’re not willing to stand up for yourself, how are you going to stand up for anyone else?”

“That’s not fair, I stand up for Ophelia all the time,” Wirt countered with a scoff. “And her problems have nothing to do with me.”

“But Beatrice isn’t Ophelia!” Greg snapped back, making Wirt jump. “You need to stop letting her influence how you act.”

“Greg,” Wirt squatted down to be closer to his little brother. “Where is all this coming from?”

“I…” he grew quiet again. “It doesn’t matter.” Greg sighed and pulled away as Wirt tried to place his hand on his shoulder. “Forget it.”

“No, hold on,” Wirt grabbed the back of Greg’s shirt gently, making him stop. “This is the second time in as many days that you’ve had an outburst like this. What’s going on?”

“I just think…” Greg seemed to struggle with the words before he groaned and yelled. “That you’re replacing me with Ophelia!”

“What!?” Wirt rocked back on his heels. “Where is this coming from?”

“I’ve just noticed that ever since you found out she’s been to the Unknown too that all my opinions on it mean nothing to you.” Greg snapped, taking a stance against his brother. “You turn to her like she’s suddenly an expert even though she wasn’t there with us and doesn’t really know what we went through. It’s like I don’t even matter any more! And don’t get me wrong I love her too; she’s great and I like that we all play video games together and sometimes she lets me win even though we both know she’s way better at them than us. And that she does pizza night with me, and takes us to get ice cream, but I’m your brother not her. She can’t even be a brother, she’s not even a boy!” Greg started to talk faster and faster as he delved deeper into his rant. “It just seems like the closer you guys get the further apart we grow and we’ve gotten really close these past few years and I don’t want to lose you to her-”

“Greg-” Wirt tried to interrupt but was quickly overpowered as he could hear Greg pacing around the passageway.

“I know you didn’t always like me- I might be naive but I’m not stupid- but after we bonded here in the Unknown I thought that maybe we could really start acting like real brothers, not half-brothers-”

“Greg-”

“But then Ophelia came along and at first it was great cause she’s awesome, but now I feel like you don’t care about me anymore and I’m just your annoying little step-brother again and-”

“Greg!” Wirt half-shouted, half-laughed as he grabbed him by the shoulders and made him stop. “Ophelia is not replacing you!”

“Don’t laugh at me!” Greg whined. “I’m being serious.”

“I know, you’re right, but you need to calm down and listen to me.” Wirt smiled, despite the fact that Greg couldn’t see him, hoping it came through in his voice. “No one could ever replace you because you’re right, you are my brother. No matter how close I get to anyone else that one fact will never change. You’re my brother o’mine and I love all the good and annoying that comes with that.”

Wirt laughed, shaking his head. “I love that you wake me up at six a.m., even on the weekends, and that we share our writing and can talk until dawn about our dreams and fears. No matter how close I get to someone else, nothing is ever going to take that away from us. We shared something that Ophelia can never be a part of, even though she’s been to the Unknown too. You’re my brother Greg, no one else, and nothing is ever going to change that.”

A silence that was no longer heavy hung between them for a brief period before Greg sniffed and asked quietly: “Really? Do you really mean all that?” 

“Of course!” Wirt laughed again and pulled Greg into a deep hug. “I love you, Greg and trust me when I say you are completely irreplaceable.” Greg gulped and pushed his face into Wirt’s shoulder, the older of the brothers saying nothing about the wetness that was on the younger’s cheeks. They stood like that a long moment before Wirt asked quietly, “You okay now?”

“Yeah,” Greg nodded and pulled back. “I’m sorry I’ve been so moody lately.”

“Yeah that’s what happens as you start to grow up.” Wirt ruffled Greg’s hair affectionately. “And it’s only going to get worse from here. You’re about to hit preteen age.”

“Ew gross, growing up!” Greg made a disgusted sound as all traces of tension fell away from them. “Don’t remind me!”

“Oh my god,” Benvolio groaned as he stomped back down the hall. “Will you two hurry up! We have to get going if we’re going to find my sister, you know the one that’s missing!?”

“Oh! Yeah, uh, we’re coming, sorry,” Wirt stuttered out. “We thought we heard something and hung back a moment, but it was nothing.”

“Great, fantastic. Thank you for wasting all our times and putting my sister into further possible danger,” Benvolio deadpanned as he headed back down the hall. “Now let’s keep moving and get out of this hotel from Hell.”

 

.::~::.

 

The girls found themselves utterly turned around. Somehow, even though they hadn’t taken the elevator or even seen a set of stairs, they were now passing rooms with numbers in the 4,000s. 

“Maybe it’s just a weird numbering system?” Beatrice suggested as she held the lamp up to what should have been the room two floors below them. 

“I dunno, maybe?” Ophelia shook her head as they turned away and continued down the hall. “But we’ve taken a lot more twists and turns than we should have to stay on one floor. I’m not even really sure how to get back to our room.”

“Maybe that’s what happened to Helena?” Beatrice asked hopefully. “She just got lost and was yelling in frustration?”

“It’s possible,” Ophelia mused, a bit doubtful. She hoped that was the case, but a question still lingered in the back of her mind; if Helena was trying to be found, why hadn’t they heard anything else from her since? A statement from Beatrice pulled her out of her thoughts. “I’m sorry, what was that?”

“I said, ‘this place is like a maze’.” Beatrice repeated as they slowly walked down the dark hallway. “It’s almost like it was designed to make you confused.”

“Yeah it’s giving me a real, ‘ _ you can check out anytime you like, but you can never leave _ ’ vibe.” Ophelia sang a little of the tune. 

Beatrice turned to her, head tilted in confusion. “What does that mean?”

“Oh, it’s uh, a song, sorry.” Ophelia was sure that if foxes could blush, she was. “I was trying to make a dumb joke to lighten the mood.”

“Yeah, well, it feels a little too close to comfort to be funny.” Beatrice shook her head. “I wish we had never found this place, it would have been better to sleep out in the rain than here.”

“I second that motion.” Ophelia nodded vigorously. “I say when we get out of here as soon as we find Helena and try our luck in the mud.”

“If,” Beatrice said solemnly. 

“Hey, don’t think like that,” Ophelia gasped. “We’re gonna find her.”

“I’m not referring to finding my sister.” Beatrice turned to Ophelia slowly, the lamp casting eerie shadows on her face as she did. “I’m saying ‘if’ we get out of here.”

“Don’t say things like that either,” Ophelia sighed as they walked on. “We’re going to find our way out. All of us.”

“I know that,” Beatrice snapped, holding the lantern high. “But it doesn’t hurt to prepare for the worst in these situations. Why do you think people have so many kids out here? It’s loss protection.” She tried to joke darkly but Ophelia wasn’t paying attention. 

“Do you see that?” Ophelia motioned with her snout to the end of the hallway. “Up ahead; is that a light?” 

Beatrice squinted but shook her head. “No, I don’t see anything.”

“Turn down the lamp,” Ophelia ordered as her hackles began to raise. For once, Beatrice did what she was asked without a sarcastic remark and turned their own lanturn down. After a few moments, her eyes adjusted to the dimness and grew wide. 

“Hey, I do see it!” A faint glow was spilling out from a doorway at the end of the hall. The girls moved cautiously, the carpeting absorbing the sounds of their footsteps as they approached the light. It seemed to take forever for them to triverse what should have been a relatively short distance, but they took their time. Something was very, very wrong in this hotel, though they weren’t sure what. 

As they got closer, the sounds of music and chatter began to drift towards them, like they had passed an invisible barrier. They exchanged a quick glance, confirming they both heard the strange change, and stuck close to the wall as they snuck closer to the large doorway. 

It seemed to be a set of double, rolling doors pushed open to reveal a large ballroom. Sounds of laughter rolled past them, glasses could be heard clinking together in celebration and even a piano playing a sweet but melancholy song drifted to them. With great caution, they drew closer to the doorway and slowly peeked around the corner, preparing themselves for whatever lay ahead.

 

.::~::.

 

The trio of boys had somehow found their way back to the bottom floor. They looked around in confusion at the abandoned lobby, hearth was empty and cold like the rest of the hotel. The lamps were extinguished and the once welcoming room now had a dead and lifeless feel to it. 

“What in the world is going on?” Wirt shook his head in confusion.

“Did we find some stairs and I blocked it out?” Benvolio scratched his head. “Cause, I mean, if you guys were being all dramatic and moody again I might have.”

“Where is that creepy guy?” Greg asked as he motioned to the still desk. Even Hudson was nowhere to be found. 

“Sleeping, I assume,” Benvolio answered as they walked towards the oaken counter. 

“But don’t hotels usually have someone here all night?” Greg asked as he began to walk behind the desk. “A night clerk, or something? In case someone needs something or checks in late?”

“I guess?” Benvolio shrugged as he began flipping through the large ledger on the desk. “Maybe he ran to the restroom?”

“Guys!” Wirt hissed anxiously as he frantically searched the room for signs of anyone else. “Don’t mess with anything.” 

“Relax brother o’mine.” Greg brushed him off as he walked to a closet behind the desk and threw it open. “If anyone shows up we’ll just say we were looking for extra pillows or something. We have to search for clues in this Mystery of the Missing Sister!”

“Helena might not even be missing for all we know,” Wirt grumbled as he kicked at the carpet. “She could have just gone to the bathroom and could already be back at the room, snuggly sleeping away.”

Greg let out a small shout of triumph as he began rooting through the closet. “Our first clue!” he sang as Wirt shushed him again. “Two coats for you guys to wear as we continue our search!”

“How is that a clue?” Wirt scoffed as he looked at the jacket thrusted into his hands. 

“Because now I don’t have to be eye level with your bare chests anymore and can properly focus on the mystery at hand,” Greg answered as he tried to hand a coat to Benvolio, who was still staring intently at the book. “Come on Benny, suit up!”

“Didn’t that man say this place was full tonight?” he asked as he flipped page after page. 

“Yeah,” Wirt answered as he buttoned up his coat. “Though no one came down to dinner.”

“Well, none of them are in this book either. Come look at this.” Benvolio nodded for him to step closer as Wirt looked over his left shoulder and Greg struggled to look over the countertop. “The last dated entry for a guest was over three months ago.”

“What?” Wirt gasped as he looked at the neat handwriting. “That doesn’t make sense. How can a hotel stay open with no guests?”

“The whole book is like this, sometimes even longer gaps between visits.” Benvolio began to flip through the pages, faster and faster. “Five, ten,  _ twenty _ years spaces between new people checking in. And that’s the other thing,” he tapped the top of the page where ‘Arrival Date’ was neatly printed. “There are only check-ins recorded here.”

“When was the last time anyone did checkout?” Greg asked quietly. 

Benvolio went backwards for what seemed like a full minute before stopping on a page that finally had something written in the “Departure Date” column. “Almost a hundred years ago.” He barely spoke above a whisper. 

“We have to find the girls and get out of here.” Wirt began to back slowly away from the book. “Now.”

“That’s not all.” His face rapidly paled as he turned back to the latest entry. “It has all of our names listed, though I certainly don’t remember giving them.”

“Wirt, I think we need to solve this mystery fast.” Greg gulped loudly as he stepped back from the desk.

“Wirt Pilgrim, Greg Fairchild, Beatrice Harper,” Benvolio began to list off, like he was in a trance. “Benvolio Harper, Helena Harper, Op-” A loud crash interrupted his rant and pulled their attention to the dinning hall.

“What was that?” Greg asked as they all slowly walked around the desk. 

“Nothing good,” Benvolio sighed, finally pulling the coat Greg had given him on. “But you know we have to go see.”

“Do we really though?” Wirt gulped as Benvolio shouldered past him. 

“We’re not leaving here without my sisters.” He picked up a heavy candlestick as he slowly made his way past the mantel. “All of them.”

Wirt took a deep breath and quickly searched for a weapon, settling on a discarded umbrella in the closet Greg had opened. “I guess this is better than nothing,” he mumbled as he took hold of his makeshift staff and motioned Greg to stay behind him as they followed Benvolio into the darkness.  

 

.::~::.

 

As Beatrice and Ophelia looked around the corner they gasped at the sight of…well, nothing.

The room was empty. It was huge ballroom with a glass-back bar at one end and an open dance floor on the other. A imposing grand piano sat in the middle of the room, the melodic tune obviously coming from that, but no one sat at the bench. The sounds of a party were unmistakable but the guests were missing, only an empty room stared back as they looked on in confusion. Slowly, they proceeded inside, the sounds of a celebration enveloping them, with no one around to make them. 

“What is going on in this hotel?” Ophelia groaned as they slowly made their way across the plush carpet, the sounds of laughter erupted around them-some phantom must have made a particularly funny joke- as they walked up to the piano.

The keys seemed to be pressing themselves down as a jaunty song continued to play and they could even hear the sounds of heels tapping away on the dance floor.

“Nothing good, that’s for sure.” Beatrice eyed the empty bench uneasily as they moved away from the piano and towards the bar. Glasses were being hit together and drinks were being poured with no one to attend to the two real guests. “This place is getting stranger and stranger by the second.” Beatrice glanced over to the bar length mirror hanging on the wall and jumped back and muffling a shout of surprise with her hand.

“What is it?!” Ophelia gasped as she jumped up, placing her front paws on the edge of the bar to get a glimpse of what scared Beatrice. If foxes could pale, she would have. 

While the room seemed empty to them, the reflection told a different story. A barback was busy pouring drinks and chatting up the guests of a huge soiree. People seemed to fill every corner of the room; between the dancing, the feasting and the drinking everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. Waiters with trays full of champagne glasses and aromatic finger foods floated between the islands of patrons.

As Beatrice and Ophelia stood at the bar in awe, they noticed guests moving away from them instinctively, the servers gave them a wide berth without even glancing in their direction. It was like they were the ghosts at this phantom gathering, but still the strangest thing of all was that everyone of them wore masks. 

Masquerade masks, animal masks, featureless mannequin masks, all were seen on the wide assortment of guest and workers. Their dress also seemed to be an odd combination of several different time periods but the masks were universal. They saw dresses with petticoats and frills of the Victorian era, sleek suits that could have only come from the 1920’s, and simple clothes of the Elizabethan working class. 

Beatrice and Ophelia exchanged a glance that could only mean one thing: “Let’s get out of here,” Ophelia whispered as she pushed herself away from the counter. Beatrice nodded in agreement as she turned away, but caught the eye of a bartender at the last moment. He had his back turned to the crowd so he was facing the mirror as he poured a drink, seeing Beatrice and Ophelia in its reflection for the first time. 

“Oh no,” Beatrice groaned as the Bartender silently reacted, soundless shouts echoed in the glass surface as the room changed. The party came to a sudden halt and the ghostly music and chatter they had been listening to since entering the room fell to a hush. 

“What’s wrong?” Ophelia asked as she turned to Beatrice in confusion and worry. 

“We need to go, now.” Beatrice turned and dashed for the door, Ophelia following at her heels. 

“Well yeah! But why the sudden urgenc-” Ophelia darted a look over her shoulder and felt her fur brissel. The crowd had changed, they were angry and screaming, a riot scene was playing out in the mirror as the partygoers transformed into monstrous reflections of themselves. Their masks were revealed to be their true forms, their hands became claws and their teeth sharp daggers that gnashed at each other. The ballroom’s temperature dropped several degrees as the mirror showed fights breaking out and the previously joyful scene turned into one of nightmares. Phantom sounds of shouting, screaming, and glass breaking erupted around them, but was still muffled like it was coming from far away or long ago.

The girls ran out of the room, Beatrice turning to slam the rolling door shut behind them the moment they broke through the threshold. As the doors latched shut it all disappeared. They were thrust into darkness and silence as even the light went out around the doorframe. 

Beatrice looked to Ophelia, and the fox sensing what she was about to do shouted “No!” a little to late as Beatrice flung the doors open again to reveal…

Nothing. The ballroom was now dark and long abandoned. Cobwebs filled the corners and a deep layer of dust covered every available surface. The long mirror behind the bar laid broken in large shards across the floor, the once plush carpet was now moldy and matted, and worst of all; the beautiful grand piano was smashed almost beyond recognition. It looked like it hadn’t been touched in years, let alone hold any ghostly gatherings. 

“Yup, we’re done here.” Ophelia turned on her heel and started stalking down the hall. “We’re finding the boys, finding Helena and getting out of here immediately.”

“Agreed.” Beatrice gave the empty room one last glance before turning, shivering as she did, and following Ophelia. “But where do we go now?”

As if called, another shrill scream echoed down the hall. But Ophelia and Beatrice both recognized this as Wirt’s shout immediately. With one look they both nodded and said in unison: “Let’s go,” before running down the hall towards the boys. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait everyone! I finally got a working laptop and can writing this story again. I took me a bit longer to publish this than I would have like, but I was trying to rebuild a buffer so I can get closer to updating weekly again and I got hit with a sever case of inspiration for another story, making it increasingly difficult to focus on this one. 
> 
> But anyways, here we are with the next chapter! I actually am starting to piece together this story and writing wise, I'm nearing the end. It's a lot more finally writing some scenes that have been floating around in my head for years and connecting them, rather than coming up with the story at this point.The goal is still to have this finished by June, since I don't think you guys want another hiatus while I do wedding stuff. 
> 
> As always, thanks for reading and I always appreciate the kudos and comments, even if at this point I'm writing this story more for me and a handful of readers. Thanks for listening guys!


	6. Hellevator

The boys cautiously made their way down the long passageway to the dining hall. The large room was empty, the tables and chairs pushed against the walls, with their tablecloths neatly folded on top and all the candles extinguished. Only the wide bay doors at the end of the room provided any light as moonbeams penetrated the sheer curtains to illuminate the area. A candle flickered in the kitchen, casting shadows of someone moving around the room. 

Wirt and Benvolio exchanged a glance as the Harper boy took the lead- heavy candlestick in hand- with Wirt bringing up the rear, umbrella raised and ready for whatever awaited them. Greg was sandwiched protectively in between them, though he wished he had thought to grab something to defend himself with in case things went sideways. 

They peeked gingerly into the kitchen, catching a glimpse of a long white dress as it glided into the walk-in pantry. Slow scratching sounds, like something heavy was being dragged, floated out of the small closet. Benvolio slowly leaned in, trying to catch a glimpse of what was going on in there. Wirt made a small noise to get his attention, shaking his head vigorously as Benvolio moved further into the kitchen. 

Placing a finger to his lips, Benvolio shushed Wirt as he turned back around and slid further into the kitchen. Greg could hear Wirt’s grip tighten on the umbrella as he prepared for the worst as more shuffling could be heard as four long, white fingers slowly gripped the door and slammed it shut. All the boys jumped and Wirt screamed while revealing Ms. Avery standing in a long white dress with her hair tucked carefully into a bonnet.

She spun around on them, startling herself. “My word boys, what are you doing sulking around in the dark?” She placed a ghostly white hand on her chest as she looked them over. “Not trying to sneak a snack before breakfast are we?”

“We heard a crash,” Greg answered with a gulp. “We wanted to investigate.”

“Well, what a curious little bunch you are.” Ms. Avery smiled as she looked them over slowly. “Mystery solved, it was just little ole’ me preparing for breakfast. It’s nice to see you boys were going to try to protect us from the cook though.” She giggled while nodding towards their makeshift weapons.

“Yeah.” Wirt dry swallowed, glancing at the umbrella clutched in his fists as he lowered it. “Can’t be too prepared?”

“Especially in an unfamiliar place,” Benvolio added, but did not stop brandishing his weapon. “We’ve heard a few weird things tonight and we’re all a little on edge.”

“Oh, you poor dears!” Ms. Avery gasped, her hands flying to her face. “Well, come and sit down and I’ll brew you some tea; alleviate those nerves.” She turned to the cabinets and began rifling through them. “Maybe I can even wrangle up some cookies to go with it, a small snack won’t ruin breakfast too much.” She shot them a gum-filled smile over her shoulder and winked playfully before she turned to grab the kettle off the counter. “If one of you wouldnt mind fetching some kindling from the woodbox, we can get a fire going and make something to warm these old bones.” 

“That actually sounds wonderful.” Wirt sighed, finally seeming to relax for the first time since entering the hotel. 

“Benvolio dear, why don’t you get the wood for us? You seem like a strong and capable young man.” She began filling the kettle with water as she batted her eyes. 

“O-oh yes ma’am!” Benvolio hastially set his candlestick down and moved to start a fire in the large hearth in the corner. 

“Wirt, why don’t you help me pick out the tea?” She turned her radiant smile onto the lankier boy. “Maybe something to help us relax? I’ve heard camomile is excellent for that.”

“Well, I _ am _ a bit of a tea consisour.” Wirt puffed out his chest proudly and tucked the umbrella under his arm. “Lavender is also good for relaxing.”

“I might just have a bit of lavender, picked fresh from the garden.” She spun around and picked a few petals off of a purple flower that was laying on the window sill. Grabbing a mortal and pedestal, Ms. Avery began crushing it as she looked down to Greg. “And maybe you would like to get some cups down for us, Gregory?”

“Um, sure?” Greg shrugged as he pulled four from the drying rack beside the large washing basin and placed them down on the long wooden table in the middle of the room. Within minutes the quartet was sitting down as Ms. Avery poured them all a nice cup of tea and a large fire warmed the kitchen. 

“Thank you,” Wirt sighed contently as he brought the mug close to his nose and inhaled deeply before drinking it. “This smells wonderful.”

“Well thank you, Wirt.” She smiled and picked up her mug, cradling it closely. “It’s my own special blend.”

Benvolio sniffed at is hesitantly, before his eyes grew wide and he took a large gulp of it. “It tastes great too!”

“What high praise!” Ms. Avery laughed as she eyed Greg glaring at his mug. “Are you not entranced too, Gregory?”

“I don’t like tea,” he grumbled, making her throw her head back as she cackled. 

“So silly of me to assume! How about a cookie then?” She slid the plate closer to him. 

“Your cookies look a whole lot more like crackers to me.” Greg pouted, but Ms. Avery’s smile never wavered. 

“Well maybe I have something more your tastes in the pantry, cake perhaps?”

“Well, I  _ do _ like cake…” Greg pondered as her eyes lit up. 

“Excellent, let me see what I can find!” She stood up from the table and slid to the pantry in one swift motion. Within moments she returned carrying a large, chocolate cake in a glass covered platter. “I hope you like Devil’s food cake.”

“I’m good with anything chocolate.” Greg’s mouth watered as she cut him a generous slice and placed it on a plate in front of him. 

“Well then, dig in!” She all but shoved a fork into his hand before sitting back down. “Are you boys enjoying everything?” 

“Oh yes,” Wirt and Benvolio answered in dreamy unison. “Very much.”

‘Would you boys like to help me with something else then?”

“Yes ma’am,” they said again, making Greg hesitate with the forkful of cake just centimeters from his mouth.

“Are you enjoying the food, dear?” Ms. Avery turned to him slowly, and Greg shoved the cake into his open maw- careful to not actually swallow any- and nodded vigorously. “Wonderful.” As she turned back to the two older boys, Greg quietly spat the cake back out onto his plate. 

“What can we do for you?” Benvolio asked again, his voice sounded far away and his eyelids were drooping heavily. 

“Well you see, I need your help making breakfast for the morning,” Ms Avery explained, her voice dripping a sweetness that was thick as syrup. “I just don’t have anything planned and I was hoping I could use you.”

“Like to help make waffles or something?” Wirt asked dreamily. 

“No, I want to use  _ you. _ ” She grinned, a wicked one that showed all her teeth were filed into sharp points. “So why don’t you boys just go ahead and hop into the fire you helped me build and we can get started on breakfast?”

“Of course,” Wirt and Benvolio answered in unison as they started to stand. 

Greg knew he had to act fast- it would only take Ms. Avery a few moments to realize that he wasn’t under her control- and his eyes searched for a way to wake up Wirt and Benvolio. Settling on his still steaming mug of tea he sighed and looked to them apologetically.

“Sorry guys!” Greg yelled as he moved to douse their laps with the hot liquid. 

Both boys shouted in surprise as they jumped back-barely avoiding getting burned- and knocked over the bench they had been perched on. 

“Greg!” Wirt yelled as he looked down in anger. “That could have really hurt us!” He grimaced and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Whoa wait, what just happened?”

Ms. Avery let out a scream that chilled their blood. “You ruined everything!” she shrieked, slamming her hands on the tabletop. “How dare you!” She made like she was going to lunge at him, so Greg made another quick decision.

Greg gulped, grabbing his fork and stabbed it through her exposed hand. She managed to scream even louder as he jumped out of her grasp and stood protectively beside Wirt and Benvolio. 

“Imsorryimsorryimsorry!” He repeated like a mantra as he pushed to get the older boys moving while she was distracted. “But we have to go now!” Both boys were still groggy from the effects of their drugging and took several moments to groan and rub their temples. 

“I am going to destroy everyone of you,” Ms. Avery spoke slowly, each word dripping with venom as she pulled the fork from her hand and stabbed it forcefully into the wooden table. “But I’m starting with  _ you _ .” She pointed one long, white finger at Greg as it transformed into a horribly sharp blade. She yelled in triumph as she jabbed at him, her nail growing quickly as it extended towards him. 

It was Wirt’s turn to react and he swung the umbrella like a baseball bat, knocking her hand away at the last second. “Everyone, run!” He yelled as they stumbled away, trying to put the long length of the table between them and her.

Ms. Avery screamed in frustration as she began to transform. Her skin boiled and bubbled; she grew two, no three, times her original size as her fingernails changed into elongated, sharp points. A long, wicked tail with a sharp spike at the end grew from under her dress where he legs should have been. Her eyes became thin, black slits and her hair fell out in chunks as she dug her nails into the wood and began crawling her way across the table. Her lanky tongue lolled out the side of her inhuman maw as she transformed into an almost snake-like creature. 

“You will not escape me,” she hissed as she slid closer. “You three are mine!”

“Hey, witch!” A shout from the front of the kitchen drew her attention and she slowly spun her head around completely to look at Beatrice and Ophelia standing heroically in the doorway. “Would you say fire is a weakness or just a annoyance?” Ophelia called out confidently. 

“What?” the creature previously known as Ms. Avery growled.

“Only one way to find out.” Ophelia shrugged and nodded to Beatrice. “Now!”

Beatrice turned their lamp up as high as it would go and threw the oil filled vessel at the monster. She screeched in surprise and jumped back as the oil lamp struck the edge of the table and doused the ground surrounding it in flames. She screamed as she tried to reach over the fire, but pulled her scaley arm back in pain. She was quarantined to the top as the flames licked the edges, glaring at the girls from her prison. 

“Whoops.” Beatrice grimaced. “That’s a bit bigger mess than I intended.”

“And that’s definitely a weakness.” Ophelia nodded as Beatrice motioned for the boys to move around the fire.

“Guys! Come on, we’re getting out of here!” Beatrice snapped as the trio of boys shook off the last traces of their trance. 

“What about Helena?” Benvolio asked as they fled from kitchen.

“We’re going to go upstairs and check one last time,” Ophelia explained as they ran to the elevator and threw the gate open, Ashley was nowhere to be seen. “It’s our last chance to find her.”

“We’re not leaving without Helena!” Benvolio insisted as Wirt slammed the door closed and pulled the crank to make the lift move. 

“We can’t stay here much longer,” Greg pointed out. “I mean, we just left a giant, flaming monster unattended in the kitchen.”

“Ben.” Beatrice grabbed her little brother by the shoulders. “I promise we won’t leave till we absolutely have to, but we might have to consider the possibility that Helena is-”

“No,” he snapped, pushing Beatrice away. “Don’t even suggest it!”

“Guys, let’s get our stuff and try to find her one last time,” Wirt pleaded as the elevator dinged and opened up to the sixth floor. 

The group rushed as one to the rooms, throwing the door open to gather their things and almost stumbled right into a confused Helena.

“Helena!” Beatrice, Benvolio and Ophelia cried in unison as the human Harpers pulled her into a tight hug and Ophelia ran around them in happy circles.

“Are you all right? Have they hurt you?” Beatrice fretted as she looked her sister over carefully. 

“Where have they been keeping you, how did you escape?” Benvolio added as Helena looked the group over slowly

“What do you mean? I’ve been here.” She motioned to the bedroom as she looked the group over. “Boys, where are you shirts? Whose clothes are those?”

“Wait, hold on, what do you mean you’ve been here?” Ophelia stepped up to Helena. “Me and Beatrice woke up and you were missing!”

“We heard a blood curdling scream and everything!” Greg added as Helena tilted her head in confusion. 

“I don’t know about ‘blood-curdling’ but I screamed when I went to the restroom and saw they had running water,” she sighed happily as she wrapped her arms around herself. “I let out a shout of joy as I took the most wonderfully warm bath in existence!”

“So you were never in any danger?” Wirt confirmed as he ran a hand through his frazzled hair. “And we went on a pointless journey through this nightmare manor for nothing?”

“We were chased by ghosts!” Ophelia barked out.

“And a crazy lady with knives for fingers!” Greg shouted while waving his hands for emphasis.

“And almost cooked alive!” Benvolio growled in frustration. “Are you telling me you haven’t seen  _ anything _ odd happen here?”

“Are you guys still going on about how you don’t like this place?” Helena huffed, placing her hands on her hips. “I keep telling you that you’re all overreacting. I’ve had nothing but pleasant experiences the whole time we’ve been here!”

“Okay that’s it, we’re leaving.” Beatrice brushed past her sister and began packing their bags. “We’ve found Helena and now we’re getting out of here before anything else horrible happens.”

“Agreed.” Everyone echoed as the boys turned to their own room to pack and change as Helena simply stood there, agast. 

“What about getting some rest before the morning?” she scoffed as Beatrice shoved her bag into her hand. 

“We’ll try our luck on the road.” Beatrice gave her a sarcastic smile. “Now come, we’re getting out of here.”

“This is ridiculous!” Helena protested as everyone returned to the hallway and headed towards the elevator. “You guys have done nothing but overreact all night and I’m sure that if we just sit down and think about think we’ll come up with a completely logical reason for all this odd stuff you think happened-”

The doors slid open to reveal a smiling Ashley. “Evening folks, checking out early?” he asked pleasantly. 

“Yeah sure.” Beatrice pushed Helena into the elevator and everyone else followed. “We’ll be happy to settle our bill, or whatever, just get us to the main floor.”

“Of course.” Ashley quickly shut the gate and started their descent. “It would be my pleasure.”

“Everyone please,” Helena pleaded. “We didn’t even get to rest! Can’t we just stay till morning, maybe grab some breakfast and then head out?”

“Yeah I don’t think there is gonna be much of a breakfast in the morning.” Greg coughed awkwardly and leaned in conspiratorially. “We might have it-lay the ook-cay on ire-fay.” 

“You did WHAT?!” Helena gasped and was quickly hushed by everyone else. 

“We’ll talk about it later,” Ophelia mumbled as she tried to subtly nod towards Ashley. “Like outside. In the sunshine. About twenty miles from here if we can help it.”

“Do you people really think I’m that stupid?” Ashley asked, his smile never faltered as the elevator lurched and grinded to a halt. The lights in the lift flickered ominously and everyone instinctively moved closer together as he spoke without turning to look at them. “Or that I don’t know what you did to poor Ms. Avery? To our beautiful home?” He gripped the lever and yanked it all the way down, dropping them into a freefall. 

Everyone screamed and reached out for each other as Ashley simply stood there, grinning. His uniform transformed in front of their eyes, becoming frayed and torn and he began cackling as they gained more and more speed. “Trust me, we will settle your debt soon enough. Until then, enjoy the ride.” He turned around grinned at them, his mouth filled with black ink and rotted teeth. His eyes were missing, replaced by a horrible black void and he smirked wickedly. “Everyone settles their debts sooner or later.”

“Do you believe us now?” Benvolio yelled to Helena as she nodded, terrified. 

They fell for what seemed like hours, falling faster and faster as their stomachs dropped and their demented bellhop continued to laugh wickedly. Time warped and stretched as the group braced themselves for the crash that never came. Then, just as quick as it started, it stopped. They fell in a pile to the floor as the door opened into the lobby, spilling them out. They scrambled to their feet as Ashley slowly stalked towards them out of the elevator. The fire had spread and now the lobby was in flames. It crawled up the peeling wallpaper, the sofas and chairs were ablaze, and the paintings on the wall cracked and bubbled as the oil began to boil on them.

“Why are you doing this?” Beatrice spat at him, everyone keeping a wary eye as he slowly walked towards them. 

“It’s nothing personal,” he chuckled gravely, his ripped sleeves waving as he lifted his hands to shrug. “It’s just everyone has to eat.” He looked around the inflamed lobby. “Okay, maybe it’s a little personal.”

“Ashley, enough,” a voice boomed behind them, making the group twirl around and face Hudson. “There is no need to terrify them so.”

“You sure?” The bellhop snorted. “Have you seen what they did to poor Ms. Avery? She’s still in the basement licking her wounds and the fire is still raging, if you haven’t noticed.”

“Oh, I am so glad we didn’t find the basement.” Wirt groaned. “I don’t think I could have handled this place’s basement.”

‘It’s actually quite nice.” Hudson smiled pleasantly. “It has a pool.”

“Great, we’ll be sure to mention that on your travelocity review,” Ophelia deadpanned as she took a protective stance in front of the group. “But the catch is you actually have to let us go to do that.”

“I think we’ll live without that.” Hudson grew somber for the first time since they had encountered him. “No, you six aren’t going anywhere.” He lifted his hand out, shedding his human persona and revealing his phantom form. He became noncorporeal and transparent. His eyes glowed a sickly yellow as his finger nails grew ragged, his mustach was unkempt and he started to hover a few inches above the ground. “I think you’ll be staying with us for a very, very long time.” He stretched out his arm, a pulse of powerful air rocketed towards the group and split around them. 

“What?!” Ashley and Hudson screamed in unison. 

“NO!” Hudson screeched as he shook his head. “This isn’t possible!”

“What’s happening?” Ashley shouted over the din of the rushing air. 

“They are claimed by someone else!” Hudson took a staggering jump back. “How is that possible?

“Claimed?” Beatrice echoed, stepping forward slightly as the two monstrous figures flinched away. “By who?”

“Keep back!” Hudson screamed, throwing his arms up in defence. “Stay away from me!”

“You fools!” A booming voice shook the paintings from the walls as a very scorched Ms. Avery slithered into the room. “ _ He _ owns a bounty on their souls. They must leave before he finds us!” She hissed at the group, keeping a good distance away. 

“No!” Ashley screeched and stomped his foot like an angry child. “It’s been far too long since we had a good meal and these children are too good of a chance to pass up.” He lunged at them, despite the protests of Ms. Avery and Hudson. 

Wirt was vaguely aware that he still had the umbrella and instinctively raised it as Beatrice unsheathed her knife and Ophelia barred her teeth. But before Ashley could grab them, a horribly loud and shrill whistle cut through the hotel, making everyone drop their stance and cover their ears.

“NO!” Hudson screamed. “He’s found us!” 

“Get out!” Ms. Avery shouted at the humans. “Leave, now!”

“You don’t have to tell us twice!” Wirt shouted back as they all ran for the revolving doors, bursting out into the early morning twilight. Just as suddenly as it had started, the sound stopped and the kids dropped her hands and turned around to give the hotel one last look. As the early morning sunrays began to peek over the tops of the trees, the hotel seemed to disintegrate before them. After just a few moments, it was gone, only an empty clearing in the middle of the woods stared back at them.

“I can say with confidence,” Wirt groaned, pushing his bangs back from his forehead as he did so. “That we’re officially in the Unknown, now.”

“What,” Helena breathed out as she turned to the group, frazzled. “Was that?!”

“That,” Benvolio shouted back as he stalked towards his little sister. “Was what we have been dealing with all night trying to FIND YOU!”

“But I wasn’t LOST!” Helena screamed back as Beatrice rubbed her temples.

“Guys, if you don’t stop yelling at each other I’m gonna make you wish you were back in that Hotel of Horrors.” Beatrice groaned. 

“Can we just find a place to, like nap, or something,” Greg asked with a yawn. “I’m beat after a long night of solving mysteries.”

“Please,” Ophelia sighed as she fell into a heap on the dirt. “I’ll even take a hollowed out tree at this point.”

“I agree but can we put a little distance between ourselves and this place before we do?” Wirt suggested, everyone agreeing with an assortment of mumbles as they started back down their path in the woods.  

“Hey, Wirt?” Greg asked as they started to walk away.

“Yeah, Greg?”

“Do you think we’ll ever come to the Unknown and not destroy a building while we’re here?”

 

.::~::.

 

_ The Conductor stood at the edge of the clearing. He watched the house and the family residing in it silently.The wind blew through the trees, making their leaves rub together slightly and to make an eerie sound that was drowned out by the giggles of four small children playing in the yard. The sun had almost set, but they still had plenty of light to finish their modified game of tag as dusk fell around them. The twins squealed as their older sister dove after them, one arm held behind her back as they darted away. _

_ “ _ You have to be faster than that to catch us, Rosie! _ ” Viola giggled as she used Puck as a shield.  _

_ “ _ If you would quit breaking the rules and moving before my left foot touched the ground I would! _ ” She laughed in return as the Conductor turned away and moved further into the woods. It caught her eye and she watched quietly for a moment as the leaves settled back into place.  _

_ “ _ Children!”  _ Their mother called from the kitchen door.  _ “Come inside before it gets dark. You never know what might be lurking out in the woods at night.”

“Yes mother,”  _ the younger children sighed as they started to head towards the oasis of light. But Rosaline stood a moment longer, searching the edge of the forest in the dim light.  _

“Rosie?”  _ Their mother placed her hands on her hips.  _ “Is everything alright?”

“Yeah,” _ she shouted back, finally pulling her eyes away from the trees and running to the door.  _ “Thought I heard something but it was probably just the wind.”

_ Hattie Harper watched her daughter rush past her before looking to the woods herself. A chill ran up her spine and she sent a silent and quick prayer for her children before closing and locking the door behind her. _


	7. The Witch of the Woods

“I’m just saying it’s possible,” Helena said with a half shrug. 

“And I’m just saying you’re wrong.” Benvolio snorted as he crossed his arms. 

“Why?!” Helena threw her hands up in the air. “Why is this where you draw the line on the impossible?”

“Because a man has to have a set of truths and beliefs that he follows.” Benvolio repeatedly hit his fist into his palm for emphasis.  “There has to be some kind of order to this universe or else everything just falls into chaos!”

“Alright, so these-What did you call them?” Helena turned back to Greg. 

“Video games,” Greg answered quickly.

“Yes that’s right- are video games too much for you?”

“Yes! They are ridiculous!” Benvolio groaned, dragging his hands over his face. “I mean a tiny box filled with some sort of magic that allows you to drive a motorized cart? What’s the point of that?”

“Fun?” Greg suggested, making Benvolio even more exasperated. 

“How is that fun? It’s hard work driving a cart. What if your horse doesn’t listen to you?”

“There is no horse,” Greg snickered and Helena tried her best to muffle a laugh with her hand. “That’s why it’s motorized.” 

“That’s ludicrous.” Benvolio shook his head in defiance. “How can it move with no horse?” 

They were walking through the woods and it was turning out to be a very uneventful, very pleasant morning. Greg was once again entertaining them with stories of the modern world, much to Helena’s pleasure and Benvolio’s continued confusion. 

“I think you’re over thinking this, Benny,” Beatrice laughed as her brother pulled at his hair. “Some things are just for pleasure, there is no purpose; that’s the point.”

“How do you have time for such frivolous activities? What about helping your parents around your home? Surely your time could be better spent harvesting or helping your mother around the house,” Benvolio continued to question Greg. 

“We don’t need to do any of those things.” Greg shrugged nonchalantly. “Mom works as a school secretary and dad does HR at a paper company.”

“Why do schools need secretaries?” Helena questioned as they walked on. “And What is ‘HR’? What do they do?”

“Oh I have no clue about that one.” Greg threw his hands up with a shrug.

“Was Benvolio always this anti-video games?” Wirt fell back from everyone else to joke with Ophelia, who ignored his question. She was trotting several yards behind the rest of the group and seemingly in her own little world as she stared intently ahead, brow furrowed. “Ophelia.” Wirt called, a bit louder than he probably should have dared this close to the group.

“Huh, What?” Ophelia blinked as she broke out her trance. “Did you say something?”

“Are you okay? You seem really distracted this morning,” Wirt asked concerned as Ophelia shuffled her paws.

“Yeah, I’ve had a lot on my mind. Beatrice confronted me last night,” Ophelia admitted in a low voice. “She knows we’re not being fully truthful with her about who I am, though she doesn’t know why.”

Wirt gasped as he glanced to Beatrice to see if she was listening. “What did she say?”

“Just that she knows somethings up, but if you trust me enough to keep secrets then she’s not going to worry herself with them as long as it doesn’t put her family in danger.” 

“Oh,” Wirt released a breath he hadn’t even known he was holding. “So problem solved then?”

“I guess,” she grumbled while keeping a wary eye on her sister. “But that’s not the only problem.” Ophelia sighed heavily, her ears drooping as she spoke. “Everything about this is wrong.”

“I’ll assume you’re not just talking about the hotel?” Wirt grimmaced with dread. 

“No, believe it or not, that actually fits in perfectly with what we know about the Unknown. Lighting snake-people on fire and fighting evil bellhops I can handle,” Ophelia turned her gaze back to her blissfully ignorant family. “It’s  _ them _ I can’t wrap my mind around.”

“I thought you were getting over that feeling?” Wirt tilted his head to the side. “You know, trying to enjoy your family while you can?”

“And I tried, I really did!” Ophelia growled in frustration. “But I mean, they’re dead, Wirt, this shouldn’t be possible. I was never going to get to spend time with them again and I had come to terms with that. But here we are, talking and joking around as they plan a future that isn’t real.” She looked down at the ground and sighed. “And they’ve grown up so much, they aren’t even the same people they were a few years ago. It’s just so strange seeing them alive and older and...different.”

Ophelia looked up to her two youngest siblings. “Benvolio was still just my annoying younger brother back then, and now look at him! He’s almost taller than Beatrice. And Helena, oh my god Helena, she was just a little girl the last time I saw her and she’s gotten so beautiful! They talk of getting married and having families. They’re growing up and for what? A weird, semi-limbo they don’t even know isn’t real?”

Wirt glanced from the frustrated fox back to the other Harpers. Helena and Greg were currently torturing Benvolio. The strawberry blonde threw her head back and laughed at something Greg did and gently ruffled his hair affectionately. He could see how lovely she would grow to be in just a few more years. And Benvolio was gaining the muscles he would no doubt carry on into adulthood. He already stood a several inches above Wirt, and he would probably keep growing.

Wirt bit his lip and grew quiet. He watched as Beatrice rolled her eyes at her younger siblings and they all laughed loudly, the sound carrying back to the more solemn couple. The day was pleasant and he was getting to spend it with some of his favorite people, so why was there suddenly a chill in the air?

“They seem so happy and carefree and I just can’t shake the feeling that all this is wrong somehow.” Ophelia shivered in the afternoon sunlight. “It’s just all so...fake.”

“I know what you mean.” Wirt nodded numbly as he looked on ahead. Beatrice was in the middle of a half-turn and caught his eye. She smiled brightly and winked before turning back to Greg as he continued telling her some story. “But she seems so happy here. Ophelia what if...” he paused as he looked down on the fox beside him. “What if she doesn’t want to come back with us?”

“I’ve been thinking the same thing.” Ophelia nodded slowly as she continued to watch her family. “Beatrice has the chance at something I never had, and honestly never will. If they are growing up and getting older and living a life here, Who are we to stop them from enjoying it?”

“But what about you and your aunt?” Wirt asked, shaking his head. “Don’t you guys deserve to have Beatrice back?”

“What if it’s better for everyone to just let her go?” Ophelia swallowed hard, and Wirt could tell she was trying to hold back tears. “Maybe me and Poppy just need to move on, not dwell on the past so much and build new lives for ourselves. And it’s not fair to take this happiness from her; I don’t think I would want you guys to tell me if I was in her position.”

“That’s not fair, Ophelia.” He pulled to a halt, making his fox companion stop too. “You know the full situation, she doesn’t. Maybe we should tell her and let her decide for herself what she wants. We can’t just give up on her!”

“And if she doesn’t pick us, if she decides she would rather stay here than come back with us, What are we going to do?” Ophelia turned up towards him, tears in her eyes. 

“I… don’t know.” Wirt grew silent a moment while he pinched the bridge of his nose. “I mean we can’t really leave her here, right?”

“Maybe we can though.” Ophelia’s ear drooped and she shook her head. “If she doesn’t come back are you going to be okay with that?” 

Wirt looked once more to the group as they pulled ahead. “I don’t know.”

 

.::~::.

 

By noontime the last traces of the hotel and its strangeness had finally left them, the warmth of the sun helping them shake of the memory. They decided to rest and enjoy a light lunch before continuing on. Ophelia was still sulking at the edge of the glade they were resting in while Helena rummaged through the last of their supplies to try and figure out something to make. If they didn’t find the witch soon, they would need to go to a village to restock at or turn around and head back home. 

“So what’s on the menu, Chef Helena?” Greg asked as she looked over their meager supply of bread and potatoes, a few assorted mushrooms they had picked up on the way, and some dried meat Benvolio had brought with him. 

“Hmm well I guess I could make a kind of stew with this stuff.” She thoughtfully tapped her chin as she inspected the truffles. “I’ve noticed some wild onions along the path and I have a few herbs in my bag that should make an actually pretty tasty meal. But we’re going to need a fire and someone to pick the onions to do that.”

“I can be on onion duty!” Greg yelled, jumping up and saluting her as he did. “You can count on me, ma’am!”

“Me and Wirt will go get some kindling for the fire,” Beatrice volunteered them, motioning for Wirt to follow her with a head nod. 

“You need some help?” Benvolio asked, already starting to stand as Beatrice gave him a quick glare.

“I think we can handle it,” she snapped, turning away from her brother. “Come on, Wirt.”

“Oh! Um, sure.” He gave Benvolio a nervous glance as the younger boy tried to drill holes into him with his stare. “I’m right behind you.” The couple disappeared into the brush, looking for thin sticks and a dry log or two to make a quick fire. Wirt shot Beatrice a sideways glance as she inspected a stump to see if it was too green to burn. “What was that about?”

“What do you mean?” she asked, abandoning the stump and walking a bit further into the woods.

“Why do you want to talk to me out here in the woods alone?” Wirt persisted, following behind her. 

“Who said I wanted to talk to you?” Beatrice snapped, rounding on Wirt, with a small blush creeping up on her freckled face. “Maybe I just am tired of my brother hovering around me all the time.”

“Beatrice.” He met her glare with a hard look of his own. “I know you better than that, so talk.” 

Beatrice’s cheeks puffed out in annoyance as she bit back what was probably going to be a harsh retort, before she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “What’s Clementine’s deal?”

“What do you mean?” It was now Wirt’s turn to suddenly become very invested in looking for firewood.

“I mean, can we trust her?” Beatrice asked, throwing a glance over her shoulder towards the glade. “I know you guys aren’t telling me everything when it comes to her and I just want to make sure I’m not putting my family in danger by being around her.”

“Yeah, she mentioned something like that.” Wirt anxiously picked at the roots of a long dead tree. “But trust me when I say, it’s nothing to worry about.”

“Why? What’s she hiding?” Beatrice pressed on.

“It’s not really my place to say.” He kept his gaze averted as he broke a few limbs off the dead tree. 

“Wirt, look at me.” Beatrice commanded, making him freeze in place. It took him a few moments, but he slowly raised his eyes to meet hers. “Can I trust her?”

“Yes,” he answered instantly. “She’s not hiding anything to hurt you, she’s hiding it ‘cause…” He struggled for the words, trying to reassure Beatrice without blowing Ophelia’s secret. “It keeps it less complicated that way,” he finally managed. 

“So I’ll assume things are ‘complicated’ with her then?” Beatrice asked cooly, leveling Wirt with a stare that sent a chill up his spine.

“I guess?” he offered, unsure of what she was trying to imply. “But now it’s my turn to ask you a question.”

“Oh? Is this an interrogation now?” Beatrice rolled her eyes. “Or are we playing ‘Twenty Questions’?”

“No, it’s just cause I like talking to you.” Wirt felt his own blush warm his face. “Are you...happy here?”

“Here in the woods?” Beatrice raised her eyebrow. “I mean besides almost being eaten alive, sure, I guess.”

“No, I mean here in general.” Wirt shrugged. “Like here with your family.”

“Oh,” Beatrice got quiet as she looked down at her feet. “I mean, I guess as happy as I can be. I love being around them, even when all my annoying siblings bother me, and I like helping my parents out, but I don’t want to do it forever.”

“Like you dream of something bigger?” Wirt asked as they sat down on a fallen tree trunk. “What do you want to do after your parents don’t need you anymore?”

“You mean when I get married?” Beatrice sighed heavily as she dug her boot heel into the ground. “That’s the only reason I would get to leave the mill.”

“Says who?” Wirt snorted. “I’ve never known you to be one to follow social norms and conventions.”

“And give my poor mother a heart attack?” Beatrice scoffed and shook her head. “Not on my life. Besides, I don’t know what I would do out there if I did leave.”

“You’re gonna tell me you’ve never even had any daydreams about what it’s like to leave the Unknown?” Wirt tried to sound casual as he picked at the bark of the log they were sitting on. 

“Well yeah but that’s all they are, just daydreams,” Beatrice mumbled with a heavy sigh. “Sure I would like to see more of the world, go on a grand adventure or explore a faroff city, but what would I do once I got there? I don’t have any skills- besides sewing maybe- I would have no way to get money.”

“Some people make sewing their career, you know,” Wirt laughed and gently nudged her. “You could easily do that and travel around, become a famous seamstress and see the world.”

Beatrice snorted, but a wide smile broke out across her face. “Oh yeah, right after I get back from visiting  _ your _ side of the wall.” She laughed loudly, but Wirt grew still and looked at her seriously.

“I mean, you could if you wanted to,” he said solemnly.

“Yeah, yeah, anything I set my mind to, right?” She chuckled while flipping her wrist dismissively.

“No, come to my side of the wall,” he replied softly, making her grow still. “If you really wanted to.”

“I don’t know if it works like that, Wirt,” she replied with her own quiet tone. “It kinda seems like a big deal you’ve been allowed to come back twice already.”

“But you said you wanted more than this.” He motioned to everything around them. “My world has wonders you can’t even begin to imagine, if Benvolio getting freaked out by video games in any indication.” 

“Well it’s not that simple!” Beatrice groaned, jumping up from her seat and stomping around the brush. “Some of us have responsibilities and can’t just run off on a whim to another world!”

“That’s not fair,” Wirt protested, jumping up himself. “We didn’t come here to runaway, not this time at least, we came to find-”

“I know your brother,” Beatrice finished for him. “But that doesn't mean I can-”

“No, we came to find you!” Wirt snapped back, making her freeze in place. “We missed you Bea, so we came back to see you.” He was breathing heavy and probably saying too much, but Wirt was caught up in the moment. So even as the adrenaline faded he could only repeat softly. “We came back for you.”

“That’s…” Beatrice’s cheeks grew a new shade of crimson as she quickly turned from Wirt. “So stupid. What if you idiots are stuck here this time, have you thought of that?” She shot Wirt an icy glare. “We still don’t know how you got back the last time, what if you can’t get back and you’re stuck here with me forever?”

“Then I guess I’ll just be stuck with you.” Wirt shrugged with such sincerity that he could see the anger melt off Beatrice. “It wouldn’t be the worse thing in the world.”

“Don’t be an idiot,” she mumbled almost too quietly for him to hear. “I just got excited; I’m sure we’ll find you a way home.”

“I know we will.” Wirt thoughts shifted momentarily to his world and Sara sitting dutifully by a tub filled with icy water. “But it doesn’t change how I feel.”

“Feel about what?” Beatrice locked eyes with him and neither one could have failed to notice the redness that grew across each other’s cheeks.

“Well about-” Wirt started as the sound of branches cracking and leaves rustling in a nearby bush made them both jump. 

Greg pushed through the underbrush, fistfulls of onions in hand. “Hey guys! You have any luck finding firewood cause I just found a ton of onions!” He happily held up his spoils. 

“Yes, we were actually just about to head back to the camp with it,” Beatrice quickly answered. She picked up part of their woodpile and brushed past Wirt as she rushed back to the glade. 

Greg followed her expedient exit with a tilted head. “What was that about?” he asked, turning back to Wirt. 

“Nothing,” he sighed, leaning down to gather the rest of the wood. “You head on, Greg, I’ll be following shortly.”

“Is everything okay, did I mess something up?” Greg asked, moving closer to his brother. 

“No, you didn’t ruin anything.” Wirt smiled affectionately to his brother. “Go on, follow Beatrice; I’ll be there shortly.” 

Greg shot his brother one more worried look before nodding and following after Beatrice. Wirt stood back a moment longer, trying to gauge what Beatrice was thinking. Sighing, he picked back up his bundle and followed behind, carefully picking his way back through the brush to put some space between him and Beatrice. 

 

.::~::.

Once back to the camp, Ophelia couldn’t help but notice something was off between Beatrice and Wirt. It was mostly in the way Beatrice brushed past her as she came barreling through the trees. Beatrice shot Ophelia one unhappy glare before heading to their makeshift fire pit. Wirt followed shortly after, head down and sulking as he dropped his pile of branches and wandered off to do something far away from Beatrice. 

Ophelia found herself watching Beatrice a lot these days, something felt off about her twin, but she couldn’t place what. Beatrice tried to act like nothing was wrong, but she wouldn’t address Wirt directly or even really acknowledge his presence. It wasn’t until after Helena had finished the stew and everyone was sitting down enjoying it that Beatrice finally began talking to him again.

“How much longer do you think it will be till we get to the Witch’s house?” Wirt asked during their meal. 

“Couple more hours walk, I think.” Beatrice shrugged as she munched on the last of the bread. 

“You’re not sure?” Wirt’s eyes widened, but Beatrice just rolled hers.

“Well not exactly, I’ve never been there myself.”

“So how do we know she’s a good witch then?” Greg asked as he pulled the blue cloak tightly around him.

“Everyone says she’s the good kind, no Adelaides here.” Beatrice patted Greg on the back reassuringly. 

“How do you know how to find her, then?” Benvolio asked suspiciously. 

“Because, if you know how to listen to the marketplace gossip, you can find her pretty easily,” Beatrice snapped.

“I bet you’re excited we’re getting closer.” Helena leaned down to Ophelia, who was still sulking in the dirt.

“Yeah, I guess,” she sighed heavily while watching her tail swish across the ground. The Harpers exchanged a confused look with Wirt and Greg, who could only shrug in response. 

“Is something wrong, Clementine?” Beatrice asked, making the fox sit up. 

“No, I’m sorry. I am very excited to go back in my regular body, in fact let’s go ahead and get moving so we can make it happen sooner.” She stood up, prompting everyone to follow her lead as they quickly packed their lunch things and continued on their way. 

After a few minutes of walking in a heavy silence, Helena trotted up beside Ophelia and smiled down at her. “What are you like normally, Clem? You hardly ever talk about yourself or what your life was like back in your world.”

“Normally?” Ophelia snorted, but one side of her snout lifted up in a semi-smile. “I guess normally I’m a lot friendlier than I’ve been to you guys, which is incredibly rude considering all you’ve been through for my benefit. I really should apologize to everyone.” She looked quickly to Beatrice, Helena and Benvolio. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright,” Benvolio dismissively shrugged. “If anyone can understand what it’s like to be turned into a forest animal, it’s us. I remember how weird and disconcerting all that is so don’t feel bad for not feeling like yourself right now. You aren’t  _ really  _ yourself.”

“But we would love to get to know the real you,” Helena added quickly. “The one who isn’t normally a fox.” 

“Yes.” Beatrice eyed her warily. “Please share.”

Ophelia grew quiet again, thinking for a few moments before taking a deep breath. “When I’m feeling like myself, I talk, a lot.”

“I can vouch for that, there has been more than one time that she’s come over to watch a movie and talked through most of it.” Wirt smirked, earning a playful glare from Ophelia. 

“Watch it, Pilgrim.” She bared her teeth in a wicked smile. 

“What do you do for fun, besides watch these ‘movies’?” Helena pushed on. 

“Not a lot, honestly. Mostly just mess around on my computer, bike when the weather is nice, and hang out with our friends.” 

“Whoa, Wirt has other friends? That’s a shocker.” Beatrice snorted, which made Wirt shoot her a dirty look. “What? I’m  _ kidding _ .” 

“Yeah, he’s actually the reason I have so many now.” Ophelia laughed. “Of course there’s Sara, Kathleen, Rhondi, Jason Funderberker, Brittany M.-” 

“Don’t forget Ryan!” Greg helpfully added, making Ophelia look down and shuffle her paws. 

“I could never,” she mumbled, more to herself.

“Wait, who’s ‘Ryan’?” Helena enquired, a knowing smile spreading across her lips. 

“Just a guy,” Ophelia felt her face warming and was glad that foxes couldn’t blush. At least, she didn’t think they could. 

“Who  _ looooooves _ Ophelia,” Greg teased, fluttering his eyelashes.

“No, he doesn’t!” Ophelia protested a bit to quickly.

“That’s not what Wirt says!” Greg egged her on. “He says that he’s obsessed with you.”

“He’s not,” Ophelia barked, before sighing and speaking more gently. “He’s seventeen, he doesn’t even know what love is yet.”

“I think you can be in love at seventeen,” Beatrice pointed out, taking a moment to inspect her nails closely. “At least, I know several girls who claim to be.”

“Well they aren’t and he isn’t.” Ophelia snorted, staring ahead as they walked. “He doesn’t even know me; he’s just infatuated with the idea of me.”

“Which is?” Helena tilted her head to the side. 

“Someone he can save.” Ophelia grew solemn. “I’ve met plenty of boys who think they love you and want to rescue you from yourself. But once they really get to know you, and see how broken you are it all becomes a lot less romantic and a lot more work. And that’s where they leave you; more hurt than you were before.”

“Ryan isn’t just trying to fix you,” Wirt spoke quietly, like he was just addressing her. “He really cares about you and wants you to be happy.”

“Yeah, sure,” Ophelia shook her head, trying to clear the air of the sense of heaviness that had grown around them. “But enough about that, What else do you want to know?”

“Tell us about your family,” Beatrice asked. 

Ophelia looked up at her, trying to gauge the emotions on her face, but Beatrice only returned the stare blankly. Ophelia was trying to decide if maybe, just maybe… No, she couldn’t know, right? 

“My family…” Ophelia started, but trailed off, looking ahead at the path they were on as she contemplated what to say. “My family is dead. They have been for a very long time and I think I’m just now starting to understand that. I mean, obviously I’ve known they were but only recently have I really started dealing with that fact they're not coming back and have tried to move on past the heartache in my life.”

Helena gasped, her hands flying up to her face. “Oh Clem, I’m so sorry! I can’t even imagine what it must have been like to go through that.” 

“That’s...that’s awful.” Benvolio shook his head slowly.

Ophelia turned her face towards them, smiling sadly. “It’s okay, and I actually mean that when I say it. Believe it or not, I think they might be happy, wherever they are, especially if they’re all together. It’s taken a lot for me to get to this place but now that I’m here, I think I can finally start moving forward.” She sighed deeply, feeling the wave of emotions surging around her. Helena’s pity, Benvolio's sincerity, Wirt and Greg’s quiet understanding. Ophelia said all these things and for once, she didn’t feel like she was just putting up a front to please people. She wasn’t trying to fool her therapist, she wasn’t trying to console her aunt, she wasn’t trying to convince her friends that everything was okay and could go back to normal. Or as normal as you could get in a situation like hers. Ophelia looked back and gave a genuine smile to the group, at least till she faced Beatrice. 

Her twin was staring down at her, her face a carefully constructed mask of apathy, but Ophelia could see the subtle signs of something more. The small wrinkle that appeared in Beatrice’s brow, her searching eyes like she had a hunch something more was going on, the way her lips pulled down ever so slightly at the corners; the same way they used to do when Ophelia would tell a fib to their parents and Beatrice wouldn’t immeadiatly rat her out about it. Normally, Ophelia would have looked away in shame, but this time she held her gaze, searching for any sign that Beatrice might be catching on or know something more. 

And in a blink of an eye, it was gone. Beatrice’s face turned to sincerity and sadness. “That is unfair and I’m sorry you had to go through that,” she spoke, and Ophelia knew that she meant it. 

“It’s alright, really. Besides, now I have people like Wirt, Greg, their parents, Sara and yes, even Ryan,” Ophelia shot Greg a playful warning before he could interrupt her, “Who really care about me. And though I might be stubborn sometimes in admitting it, I can see that.”

Greg rushed forward and pulled Ophelia into a crushing hug. “And we feel the same about you, right Wirt?”

“Definitely, Greg.”  Wirt leaned down and joined the brief hug before breaking Greg’s latch on Ophelia. 

“Thanks guys.” Ophelia beamed up at them, laughter at the edge of her voice. “For everything.” 

“We’re here,” Beatrice broke the sweet moment with a suddenness that almost made them whip their heads around in confusion. “This is the witch’s house.”

They had come across a stone walled cabin, sitting peacefully in the warm sunshine. The sound of gentle humming floated around the corner as the kids moved around the house and stumbled upon a garden.

A large plot was spread out back, vegetables and herbs of all shapes and sizes filled the fenced in space with rows and rows of fresh greens. They could see gourds too big to wrap your arms around, corn stalks taller than any of their heads, and berries so bright that they appeared to be fake. An apple tree was in the far corner, it was just starting to flower as a young lady in a long dress and widebrimed straw hat was balanced on a latter and using a pair of shears to trim the dead branches. A large, round woman could be seen moving through the garden as the group approached, everyone a little unsure how to announce themselves in the presence of a powerful and well-known witch.

“Excuse me,” Beatrice called, clearing her throat politely. “We’re looking for Auntie Whispers.” The woman in the garden turned around as Wirt and Greg gasped in unison, revealing one of the most ancient ladies Ophelia had ever seen. 

She was hunched over by old age, her pale and wrinkled face looming over them like the moon. Her huge eyes, yellow and all seeing, searched them like she was trying to decide who would be the most delicious. She shuffled towards them slowly, making the hair on Ophelia’s back raise. 

“Wait, we’ve been looking for Auntie Whispers this whole time?” Wirt turned to Beatrice, slacked-jaw.

“Yes?” Beatrice cocked her eyebrow. “Have you heard of her?”

“And who calls upon me on this lovely afternoon?” Her raspy voice crooned as she stepped closer, squinting between Wirt and Greg before she broke out in a wide, toothless grin. “Well, look who’s returned after all these years!” She laughed, a cracked sound that seemed to wheeze out of her vocal cords as she pulled the brothers into a tight bear hug. 

“Hey!” Ophelia couldn’t stop herself yelping in protest, until she saw that Greg was returning the hug and Wirt was actually smiling. 

“Lorna!” Auntie Whispers called to the young lady by the tree as she set the brothers back down. “Come over here, we have guests!” Lorna turned around, using her hand to shield her eyes as she squinted towards the group, breaking out into a huge grin as recognition washed over her. 

“Wirt! Greg!” She laughed and jumped down, sticking the large shears deep into the earth as she glided over to them. “It’s so nice to see you!” She pulled each into a warm hug, lingerly a moment longer in Wirt’s embrace than Greg’s. 

“You know them?” Beatrice and Ophelia asked in synchronicity. 

“Yeah.” Wirt coughed awkwardly as Lorna pulled away, unable to stop a small blush from arising in his cheeks. “We helped them out with a problem the last time we were here.”

“Yeah, we were trying to burgle their turts!” Greg added unhelpfully. 

“When did this happen?” Beatrice’s brows knitted together. 

“Oh, um.” Wirt rubbed the back of his neck. “Right after Adelaide’s.” 

“Oh.” Beatrice breathed quietly before quickly looking away. 

“I thought I told you to stay away from my sister,” Auntie Whispers warned as she glowered at them. 

“Your who?” Beatrice looked anxiously to Greg and Wirt.

“We had kinda already met her by the time you warned us.” Wirt was growing more nervous by the second. “It just seemed impolite to tell you that.”

“Well it’s all a moot point now.” Auntie Whispers shrugged. “Some brave or foolish soul has already vanquished my poor sister. While I am glad that she can no longer ensnare people with her magic, the rules of our covenant state I would still have to destroy them in retribution.” Helena, Benvolio and Ophelia looked quickly to the other trio as they all gulped audibly. “But enough of this dark talk! Let’s all go enjoy tea and catch up!”


End file.
